


Skein: The Battles Beginning

by UsagiSquared



Series: Skein [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Female Seto Kaiba in other words, Gender or Sex Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-22 04:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 291,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19660288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsagiSquared/pseuds/UsagiSquared
Summary: Part 5 of Skein - Covers the period leading up to Battle City, as well as the Battle City Prelims.There's a storm on the horizon, and buried knowledge is digging itself out into the open to be known. But the Millennium Items aren't the only trigger for such things, and Jonouchi Katsuya is quickly finding himself in over his head as the shadows finally close in.Perhaps it would be easier if, like Seto and Yugi, he had a 'history' carved in stone.





	1. This Is My Security Team

Of all the things that he hated the most about going to the hospital, there was really only one that stood out right now.

It was the whiteness. It was something he always hated about hospitals, but having managed so long without a visit to one, he was only now being reminded of it. They were just so damn...

White. Blank. Blinding. It was like walking outside on a sunny day right after it snowed except at least then, he could blink it off and get inside the house/school/where ever the hell the nearest building was.

Katsuya supposed that at least this time... He wasn't alone. Which made it much more bearable, despite what had gotten them there.

It was day three of being hospitalized.. Though 'day' one was technically only a few hours due to the fact that they'd come in at four pm, day two had somehow passed just as quickly. Yugi had been rushed into critical care as soon as he was hauled out of the fire, and for a variety of things. The most important ones were smoke inhalation, but they were followed by severe burns to his hands and front from the fire he'd almost literally sat in, and from there...

Now hang on, the chart said... What was this about a bruised and crushed throat? How the hell did that one happen?

When asked, Yugi refused to answer.

Katsuya himself had just spent a few hours getting his own burns bandaged up before being hauled off into a bed that night- ultimately, it had been far simpler for him. Though not as serious as his friend's given how quick he'd be discharged, he himself was not spared the burns on his hands and body. While he hadn't held onto the puzzle's chain for long, trying to get the stone through the also metal loop had had it's effects...

And dear god his hands hurt like hell.

He'd be out that friday, four-three days from that point. Yugi...

More or less the day before Golden Week. On the 29th.

Which was currently about three weeks away.

On the bright side the second bed in the room he was in was currently the one that was being switched out. Despite all the odds the only thing 'permanent' on Yugi's condition were the burns against his hands. Which meant that not only was he out of ICU...

He was here. And he was more or less in perfect condition to talk to his friend on the bed beside him.

"Alrigh'," the blond said with a small laugh as the pair recounted their own tales of the night and day prior, "Le's try this again... They tried t' put you in _pediatrics_?"

Yugi crossed his arms, going fairly red in the face at the mention of the 'childrens ward'. "Gh- I was completely unconscious at that time too," he muttered, shaking his head. "If Grandpa hadn't caught them on it while they were wheeling me away... It was hard enough to convince him to leave me with the puzzle as it was..!"

But hey, given that the 'other' Yugi was hovering at the side they knew how that went down at least. The 'other' beside the boy appeared to laugh somewhat quietly, gaining a glare from his lighter half as he shook his head.

"Gh- Other me..!" The spirit merely 'said' something, Yugi flushing and slamming his head back on his pillow. "...Gnnnn... I can't wait until my growth spurt finally hits..." Yeah, late blooming was one thing, but how long was this going to last?

Katsuya stared as the spirit began talking about something once again, propping his head on his arm as he waited for the conversation to finish. This was another thing that had come up throughout the day. Evidently while unconscious and going through a battery of machines and tests to make sure he wasn't dying, the two Yugis had been talking amongst each other within their mind.

And the conversation in the fire had come up... Revealing a few facts that the blond had been attempting to keep quiet. Yugi looked over at his friend from where he was about to answer his 'partner', blinking at the silence he'd gotten before following his gaze back to his 'other self'. "...So," the boy began, blinking a few times before turning back to his friend, "You can really see him Jonouchi-kun?”

The blond nodded, looking over at where the spirit was hovering at that moment. Currently the 'other' Yugi was staring back... Though after a blink he'd simply turned his attention to the wall. "Yep... Clear as day. It's kinda creepy act'lly..."

The two 'Yugi's turned to each other, the darker again saying something before Yugi turned back to Katsuya. "But you can't hear anything he says?" Hahaha...

Nope. He shrugged, shaking his head as Yugi frowned. "Hey, don' ask me how it works! All I know is that I c'n see 'm!" Not to mention everything that could appear on a holographic duel table but hey, lets take things one step at a time right? Because really, seeing 'ghosts' was one thing, seeing 'ghosts' that didn't exist...

The blond groaned, leaning back against his pillow at the thought.

"Man... This is insane..."

' _Well_ ,' the 'other' Yugi muttered, back turned as he shrugged, ' _It could be worse...'_

"G-HAAAAA!" Katsuya jumped, looking back at the two Yugi's with wide eyes. "What th' hell!" The pair stared, before turning to each other as the other Yugi said something again. Lips moving, no sound... "AA _AAAGHHH_!" The two turned to the blond, eyebrows raised as their friend 'face-palmed' into a pillow. "Th's crazy!"

"Er..." Yugi coughed, blinking a few times. "...What is?" He crossed his arms gritting his teeth.

"Gh... What else?" he asked, frowning. "One minute 'm hearin' 'm, th' other I ain't, what th' hell!"

The other Yugi gave him a somewhat unimpressed stare, frowning. ' _I'm right here you know..._ '

"Gh-" And again! "Stop switchin'!"

The other Yugi snorted, shaking his head before crossing his legs in mid-air. ' _Well it's not like I'm controlling this!'_ Learning to do that would certainly be nice though...

"Maybe it's because you're talking to him and not me," Yugi said with a shrug. Katsuya blinked, watching as the boy looked over at his 'other' before continuing. "Let's try something," he decided with a grin, the 'other' raising his eyebrows in curiosity. "You say something to me... And then something to Jonouchi-kun! And that way, we'll find out if I'm right!"

The others blinked, staring a few times before trading looks and shrugging. It was as good an idea as anything else he supposed. And hey, not like they had anything else to do... "Eh... Alrigh'," Katsuya said with another shrug, leaning against his pillows. "Shoot!"

"Alright!" Yugi nodded, turning to his other as the spirit appeared to sigh. The 'ghost' crossed his arms, turning to his partner. Now. Three...

Two...

One...

And nothing but moving a mouth! The pair turned to their friend, the blond shaking his head as they waited. "Got nothin'."

_'Well,_ ' the spirit said plainly, blinking a few times as he floated down to 'sit' on the edge of Yugi's bed. _'That's interesting..._ '

"Heh, yeah," his friend muttered, rubbing his head as he ignored the bizarreness of the situation, "Y' got that right..."

Yugi shrugged, before turning as footsteps began coming down the hall. "Hn... Someone getting visitors?" Supposed so...

They weren't even allowed visitors the day before. His other blinked, looking at the clock before smirking. ' _Four o'clock visiting hour on monday... I think I can guess who it is, aibou._ ' The others blinked, before watching as the spirit faded into the puzzle as the steps came louder. Four o'clock...

After school...

So that meant- "Oiiii Katsuya-niiiii~!" The two turned from their beds, smiles coming over them as Mokuba ran through. "Yugi!" Haha!

Katsuya grinned, sitting up from the bed with a laugh. "M-Mokuba! You're here!" The boy was quickly joined by others, Anzu, Honda and Bakura following him in. Hey... Everyone was here!

Um... "Ah... Bakura-kun," Yugi said with a blink, looking them over. "Everyone..."

The three smiled, Anzu herself coming over and dropping a small vase of flowers on the side table. "Of course! Did you think we wouldn't visit?" she asked, turning to them with a smile. "We would have come yesterday, but your Grandpa said you were in ICU..."

There was a nod in response to that, Yugi skipping over the topic as he looked at the group. "Ah... Where's Otogi-kun?" Yugi asked, blinking a few times.

Huh. That was a good question actually... Honda stared, Mokuba and Anzu as well giving him an odd look in response to the question. "Er... Otogi?" he asked, blinking a few times. There was a bit of an awkward silence, the teen coughing. "Well... Apparently the old man we hauled out was his dad," he continued just as awkwardly, averting his eyes from everyone in the room, "And not his grandpa like we thought..."

"W-Wait," Katsuya said with a jump, shaking his head. "That old guy was his dad? But how's that ev'n possible!" Yugi coughed, the others turning from the side. Ahh...

Something on his mind? "Ah... Otogi-kun's dad... Apparently played a cursed game, a few years ago..." A cursed game? The others tilted their heads, and the boy continued. "I wasn't going to say anything," he said nervously, turning away somewhat, "But since you know who he is... Well. The game should be destroyed by now in any case so..."

Well, it wasn't like the guy really got that old on his own he guessed... Though thinking back, the game that he'd seen back in the fire looked old enough to suit that.

...Hihhhhh...

The others blinked a few times, nodding at the answer they'd gotten. Change of subject, change of subject...

"Well... Anyways," Honda said with a cough, shaking himself. "Thanks to the fire, he's going to be in the hospital for a while. And since the building had their apartment in it, Otogi's staying at my place for the next bit... What with him not having any relatives in the area who can, plus all the paper issues he's dealing with trying to put things back together..." That tended to happen when things literally went in flames. Wait, did he say-

"Ah... Your house?” Bakura repeated, blinking. "Really?"

Honda nodded, shrugging as he looked back at the albino. Evidently, whatever issues had been around thanks to the presence of the ring were... Solved.

He was still keeping an eye out. "Yep- Spoke to him in the waiting room yesterday, when I was trying to see you two," the teen continued, scratching his neck. "Speaking of which... How are you guys holding up?" he asked, hands stowed in his pockets. "I mean... We didn't get much from Jii-chan other than the 'ICU' so..."

Yugi blinked, before smiling. "Haha... Of course... Well... I'm alright. I can't feel my arms," he added with a laugh, the limbs in question currently heavily wrapped in addition to the IV drip at the side, "But I'm alright..." Though if that drip of painkillers went away, he'd be howling damn it.

Thankfully, that was not going to happen. "As f'r me," Katsuya said with a smirk, the others turning to him as he held up a bandaged 'thumbs up', "You'll be seein' me next week!" The others stared at that, the blond frowning at the lack of reaction. "...O-OI! Shouldn' that be good!"

Mokuba grinned, laughing as he came over and took a seat on the bed while the others shook their heads and smiled. Aggggh, a joke, they'd pulled a joke on him damn it...

"Hey, I'm happy about it! In any case," the boy asked, attempting to find a comfortable seat on the blond's legs, "What do you guys think you'll be doing while you're in here?" While they were here? Huh...

...That was a good question. Katsuya blinked, before frowning as he crossed his arms. "Hnn... I was thinkin' 'f going through my deck act'ally," he muttered, Mokuba raising his eyebrows. "Nothin' else to do b'sides talk really. I'd play a few rounds with Yugi but..."

They turned, watching as the boy sheepishly raised his two bandaged arms. Honestly if there were any more, he'd say the kid was wearing two casts rather than a series of bandages. "Haha..." He shook his head, moving to scratch it only to stop when he remembered the bandages he had. "Eh... Sorry Jonouchi-kun!"

Katsuya shrugged, shaking his head. "Eh, it's fine," he muttered, smirking. "We'll figure somethin' out right?" Better than the TV anyways... The blond turned back to the others as his friend nodded, leaning against the bed. "Anyways... What about you guys?" he asked somewhat plainly, "Anything else new? ...Other than an extra chew toy f'r y'r dog, Honda?"

"Actually," the teen said with a cough, "Blankey seems to really have taken a shine to Otogi... We were even able to let her back in the house..." Okay...

"...Yeah..." That wasn't what he was talking about...

Mokuba shook his head, before leaning back slightly on the bed and throwing his own two cents in. "Well... Nii-sama's almost done testing the new duel disk..." Ooooh! The two on the beds immediately honed on on that, Mokuba continuing with a grin. Someone knew what to talk about! "Hehehe..." The grin widened with the added attention, and he went on. "If all goes well with the final phases of the test, they'll be ready to sell by the summer! Keep an eye out..." Ooooo!

Definitely! "Sweet!" Katsuya said, a grin on his face. "I know what I'm savin' for now..."

"Hahhh... I wonder what the disk looks like," Yugi mumbled with an odd look staring up at the ceiling and smiling as the others groaned.

"Augh... What's wrong with you boys," Anzu muttered, shaking her head and glaring weakly at the group. "Honestly..."

Honda frowned, turning with the words. "Hey," he said with a scowl, narrowing his eyes, "Some of us don't even duel!"

The woman merely rolled her eyes, looking at Honda with raised eyebrows. "Maybe so," she said, "But there's still something wrong with all of you..."

"Hnnnn..."

Anzu crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Anyways," she said, ignoring the grumbling from behind her, "Anything other than cards that we can talk about?"

"Well..." The others turned, watching as Bakura held out a newspaper he'd been holding with a slightly pink tone to his face. "There is this..." ...This? The others watched as he held out the newspaper, unfolding it so that the two bed-ridden ones could see it clearly. Not that he couldn't move but...

Mokuba was sitting on his legs so yeah, he couldn't. "'Egyptian Exhibit Extended'," the boy read off the page, a large image of the Museum visible at the top. A somewhat tall, grey-haired man resembling Bakura could be seen in it standing next to a darker skinned woman. "Ah- so they really are adding to that section then?"

The albino nodded, still somewhat pink. "Yes, that's right! I even got to help organize it," he added with a smile, bowing his head as he flushed. "It was actually very fun..." That explained the blush...

Yugi blinked, looking at the picture beneath the article in question. Bakura's dad, Egyptian woman...

Wait..."Ah... That woman?" the boy asked, frowning somewhat. "Who is that?"

"The woman?" Bakura looked down, the others following his gaze to the picture. "Oh! That's 'Ishizu Ishtar'... Er... Ishtar Ishizu," he corrected with a cough, "Sorry... She's a fairly important figure in dealing with Egyptian artifacts apparently. In fact, I believe she's also the one who provided and approved a majority of the display, enabling us to extend the exhibit in the first place!" He coughed, turning the paper around and frowning as he looked closer at the image. "Now hang on..." Eh?

"What?" Katsuya asked, blinking a few times, "What is it..?"

The teen continued to frown, turning the paper around again and pointing at the woman in the picture. "The necklace," he began. “I can't figure out how I missed it before but... Doesn't this eye look familiar..?"

The others leaned in, before growing somewhat pale. Around the woman's neck, neatly molded in gold...

"Th-The Millennium Eye," Yugi muttered, leaning back with a swallow.

Katsuya groaned, slamming back against the pillows on his bed. "Awww hell," he moaned, grabbing his face, "If it ain't soul-stealin' an' fires, it'll be zombie night all over again!" Damn it aaa _aaall!_

"Zombie night?" Mokuba asked, raising his eyebrows as the others shook their heads.

"Long story," Honda said with a sigh, Bakura turning to him as well with raised eyebrows.

"That's right," Bakura said with a blank stare, "You said you would tell me about that, didn't you say something about someone with two items being involved with it?" They'd said that?

Honda sighed, scratching his head. "...Very long," he added, a wry smile on his face.

"Long enough that we don't have time either," Anzu added, looking up at the clock as the others turned to her. "I have work in half an hour," she said with a shrug, shaking her head, "If I don't catch the next bus..."

Yugi nodded immediately, smiling at the woman. "It's fine Anzu- thanks for coming," he added, the smile growing into a grin.

The woman smiled, turning to the boy and shaking her head. "How could I not come? Though before I go... I have to ask," she said somewhat worriedly, biting her lip. "Is the 'other Yugi' alright?"

The room fell somewhat silent, Yugi looking down at his puzzle. His smile however didn't vanish, which resulted in everyone else having about the same reaction.

"He's fine," he said with little pause, looking back up as he gave the answer that Katsuya and himself had had since the morning. "We're a little shaken," he added with a shrug, "But we're both fine!"

"Hah... That's good," the woman said, sighing with relief. "Well... Time to catch the bus... Good bye everyone!" Anzu said, waving as she left. "I'll see you tomorrow alright?”

"Bye!" Mokuba shouted, Yugi doing the same. "See you Anzu!"

"Er... Honda-kun..." The teen turned from where he was about to talk to Mokuba, looking at Bakura somewhat blankly as the albino coughed. "...If you're allowing Otogi-kun to stay at your house," he asked, putting the newspaper in his hands down, "Then... How exactly is he going to get in when you have the key?" The teen quickly paled, swallowing. Now that they thought about it...

That was a good question. "Ooooh shit!" He fished around his pockets, pulling out the lanyard and swallowing. "Ahhhh... See you later guys!" he shouted, running out of the hall. "I'll visit you tomorrow!"

" _DON'T RUN IN A HOSPITAL_ ," someone in the halls shouted, those in the room merely sighing and shaking their heads. " _AND KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN_!"

"Hah... I suppose I should leave too," Bakura said with a small shrug, turning to the others and biting his lip. "I don't want to overstay my welcome," he continued with a cough, "And there's probably something I have to do. You two should be getting rest after all..." The albino's eyes nervously drifted downward, before he finally turned away. "In any case," he said with another cough, "I'll come and visit sometime soon alright, Yugi-kun, Jonouchi-kun?"

The two nodded, Mokuba pulling his legs into his seat as the albino made for the door. "Alright Bakura-kun," Yugi said with a nod, smiling. "We'll see you then!"

"Yeah," Katsuya called out, "See yah!"

"Nn!" The teen left, the remaining three staring out the door for a few moments. There he went. So...

Mokuba and Katsuya shared an awkward glance, looking back at Yugi. About Bakura. He had the ring back. And... Personally, he'd forgotten to mention that, so he should probably...

They both coughed, the smaller speaking first after a curious look from the boy. "Ahhh... Hey... Yugi," Mokuba asked, scratching his head as their friend blinked in response. "Um... There's something we should tell you..."

"'Bout Bakura," Katsuya added with a cough, turning away.

"Yeah," Mokuba continued, "Um... He..."

"He has the ring back?" The two blinked, staring as Yugi finished the sentence.

...Interesting, he'd have thought those words would come with-

Ah, hang on, the boy was wincing, obviously his 'other' _had_ heard that. Yugi shook his head, before smiling despite the invisible verbal beating. Alright, that was the weirdest expression to ever associate with this-

"I know," he said calmly, leaning back on his pillows, "The 'other' Bakura came in while I was playing D-D-D with Otogi-kun." W-W-Wait...

"WHAT!" How did he-!

"K-Katsuya-nii," Mokuba said with a wince, rubbing his ears, "We're in a hospital..."

"I know! I know but..." The blond gaped, shaking his head and staring incredulously at Yugi. "Y ... Y'know? An' yer not... Worried... About anythin'?" At all?

_At all_? The boy shook his head, adjusting his position on the bed as he shrugged. "Not really... I know that he tried to kill us before but... Well, when I thought about it," he continued, looking up at the ceiling with an odd expression in place, "The other me really _has_ killed people hasn't he?" Well...

Yes but that was a little-

"And Bakura-kun did say that he had troubles with friends right?" Yeah but he never actually mentioned how that went- "So I thought, maybe the other Bakura was just doing the same thing the other me was. Protecting Bakura-kun."

Mokuba swallowed, frowning as the argument was raised. "Well yeah but... He put us in figurines!"

"Yeah," Katsuya added with a nod, frowning, "An then tried t' _kill_ us in th' figurines!"

"And impaling your own hand on a tower isn't really 'protection' Yugi..."

"Er...” The blond coughed. "There's that too..."

Yugi bit his lip, still smiling somewhat despite the comments. "I know but... He really helped back there! He helped gather the pieces of the puzzle back together, helped me win..." ...Seriously? That...

Didn't sound like...

"If Bakura-kun, the other one I mean... If he hadn't appeared, well..." He sighed, the smile vanishing as he looked down at the puzzle sitting around his neck. "Well. I don't think that the other me would be here..."

The others went silent at that, Mokuba and Katsuya both staring before trading looks. Really... Really, in the end, maybe they should just avoid this topic and not even poke it with a fifty meter pole. Just an idea...

"Sooo... Should I go get drinks?" Mokuba said with a slight laugh, scratching his head in an attempt to change the subject.

Katsuya slowly nodded, the speed picking up at the idea. "Errrr yeah! Yeah," he repeated, shaking himself. "Iced tea f'r me alrigh'?" he said, turning to Mokuba as the boy moved from the bed.

The boy nodded, turning to Yugi somewhat expectantly. "And you?" he asked, hands stowed in his pockets. "Anything for you?"

"Ahh... A coke would be good," he said with a short nod, smiling as he pulled himself up in the bed. "Thanks for doing this Mokuba-kun!"

He shrugged, moving for the door. "Eh, it's nothing," he said, leaving the room. It wasn't though, not really- while he could get out of the bed, the last time he'd tried to go get a drink himself the nurses dragged him back into the room. So being able to get one was pretty nice...

It all came back to that one thing, he decided.

He _hated_ hospitals.

"You..." Errr...

The two boys blinked, turning as a rather aggravated (and very much familiarly disguised) voice came through the air.

Oh shit.

Katsuya coughed as the voice was followed by a face, Yugi merely blinking as the woman walked in. "Errr..."

"...Me?" Katsuya asked somewhat nervously.

Seto narrowed her eyes, shutting the door behind her and stalking over to stand between the two beds. For a moment, she was silent- but she eventually turned to the shorter of the burn victims, dropping her briefcase to the side. "Yugi." She held her hand up, pointing to the boy rather threateningly and gritting her teeth as she looked the boy over. " _If you weren't in a hospital bed..._ "

"Er..." The boy coughed, going rather red with nervousness as he stared. "...What? What does that even mean..!"

The woman ignored him, turning around to face Katsuya with the same hand moving to point at the blond as she growled. "And you..."

"...H-Hah..." He edged away somewhat, coughing. "Er... Y-Yeah, S-Seto-cha-"

- _SMACK!_

Katsuya blinked, momentarily rendered silent as the woman's hand smacked him across the back of the head. "OW! What th'..." He shook himself, rubbing his head and looking at the woman with a glare. "What th' hell was that-!"

"You're a MORON!" ...Kay. Um... Seto glared, crossing her arms as she turned to look at both of the two boys. "Complete morons, both of you!" Well sheesh, rub it in then! "You, I understand," she growled, looking at Yugi as the boy blinked. "Despite what your 'other' is capable of, your naivete knows no bounds..."

"H-Hey," he sputtered, going beet red, "That's not-!"

"But YOU?"

Katsuya stared, watching as Seto turned back to him with narrowed eyes. Er...

What was bringing this on! "You're on my _security_ team... I'd expect better than a suicidal stay in a flaming building!"

"H-Hey!" the blond said with a nervous laugh, watching as the door opened at the side for Mokuba to walk in, "How did y' even know we stay-"

"You took half an hour to get out Katsuya-nii," the boy said fairly plainly, shutting the door tightly behind him as he balanced three cans in his hands, "I'd be surprised if Seto-neesama didn't know," he added with a shrug, before walking over to put the cans on the side table. "Hey, Nee-sama?" he asked, looking up at the woman as she turned, "You want anything?"

The woman shook her head, moving to take a seat at the side. "I'm fine," she muttered, evidently feeling calmer than usual. "I'm just wondering if I should even bother with my 'plans' for this weekend now..." Err...

Plans? The boys blinked, sharing a few glances. Errr... What? "What plans?" Mokuba repeated, blinking a few times. Well damn, there went asking him what was going on...

"I have a meeting," Seto stated vaguely, idly glancing at the paper that had been left at the side before continuing. Kay. That told him...

Nothing. "A meeting?" Katsuya repeated, blinking a few times as he frowned. "...What th' hell does that have to do with me?"

"Hey," Mokuba asked from the side, "Does this have to do with that call?" Call?

The woman ignored her brother, grabbing the newspaper from the side and idly flipping through it. "Everything, actually... Despite how long I've had to filter through my staff," she continued with slight, albeit evident annoyance, "The 're-hire' is still underway for most of the security. And due to the training program required, none of the recruits are even close to being considered 'decent'..." Okay...

Still wasn't seeing what this was about...

Seto looked up from the paper, putting it to the side and moving toward the edge of Katsuya's bed to grab her briefcase. "I'll explain the rest later," she said dismissively, "But to say the least, you are unfortunately the best option I have for a 'bodyguard' at the moment..."

"Unfortunately?!"

"B-Bodyguard!?" Yugi repeated, gaping as his friend frowned. Wait.

Waaaaait...

H-Holy shit. The blond stared, before grinning widely and pointing at himself as he realized what the second half of Seto's sentence was. "H-Hah! I'm th' best option? Seriously?" He continued to grin, looking over to the other two as they raised their eyebrows. "Haha..! SWEE-"

"That wasn't a compliment, mutt."

The blond tensed, gripping the side of his bed and growling as his 'boss' smirked. "Gh- You..!"

Seto chuckled, turning to the door and opening it. "I expect to see you 'on duty' friday night this week," she said calmly, moving into the hall as she covered her voice up once again. "Come on Mokuba- the dog and his friend need to sleep..."

Aaa _aaghhh_..! "Damn it S-"

"Good bye Kaiba-san," Yugi called out, voice cutting Katsuya's off as Mokuba left the room as well. "...Mokuba-kun!"

"See you!" the boy shouted, waving as he headed out of the room. "Get better soon!"

The door shut behind the two, leaving the boys to watch as their last visitors vanished down the hall. Alright.

Friday.

'Bodyguard' duty.

A bit of silence filled the room, Katsuya slowly turning to Yugi as the boy did the same. What to say, what to-

' _...So_ ,' the 'other' Yugi stated, misting into appearance beside his partner with a grin to somewhat mirror the 'lighter' one's at a more menacing level. _'A date then?_ '

He couldn't have hit the pillow faster if he was out cold.

"AAAAAUUUGH..."

* * *

To say that it was an 'interesting' phone call she'd received early that day would likely be putting it lightly.

As it was, working while her brother was in the office watching the news of all things on a sunday was not her idea of a 'good work day'. But he was watching with 'closed captions', keeping the volume down, and overall doing his best to keep out of his hair now that he had nothing else to do but worry about Jonouchi.

The last thing she'd expected on a Sunday was a phone call. From her secretary.

Who was sitting in the front, like she always was. Which meant that this business call was not from in the building- given that they knew damn well she didn't normally work sundays in the building anymore, and that the calls would otherwise be written down and noted by the secretary- which more often than not meant someone had instead pressured the secretary into passing things over, and inevitably would mean more headaches.

Damn it. Seto frowned, picking up the phone with narrowed eyes. "Yes?" she asked, leaning back in her seat and tapping her fingers against the chair. "What is it?"

The secretary didn't waste a single moment, merely answering with a well steadied tone. "There's a woman named 'Ishizu Ishtar' from a 'Ministry of Antiquities' trying to call," she said plainly, pausing only a moment to let the info sink in. "She claims it's important, and the call is international."

The ministry of _antiquities?_

For all that such an organization from any country would likely have nothing to do with Kaiba Corp at present, there was no telling what dirt from the past could still need cleaning. And as it was, it was never good to simply ignore a call from an international government organization.

Damn it. "Shall I patch her through?" Hnnnn... The name...

"Ishizu," Seto muttered, Mokuba turning from the couch at the words.

"H-Heh..? 'Ishizu'... Ishtar Ishizu?" the boy asked, frowning as his sister raised her eyebrows. The woman nodded somewhat curtly, her brother's frown deepening. "But she's on the news live right now, how can she be calling.."

Live? The woman frowned, looking back at the phone before glancing at the screen Mokuba was watching. Alright. Now that was... Interesting to say the least.

...Oh what the hell, after the chaos from the night before she might as well see how that worked. "Send her through," Seto stated, listening as the phone line switched over. "...Hello?"

" _Ahh... Kaiba Seto-san... Please to speak to you_ ," an accented voice stated, Seto in question frowning somewhat as her eyes trailed over to the screen of the TV. Nothing so far...

Though she had to admit despite the accent, this woman was speaking the language quite well. Possibly better than some people she'd seen during her stint at high school, which certainly said something. " _I presume you have the television on the news channel at the moment?_ " An oddly accurate assumption...

Nonetheless the woman nodded, crossing her legs as she kept an eye trained on the screen. "That's correct... Though I don't normally talk about such things with foreign people with whom I've never met," she added, narrowing her eyes.

The woman on the other end chuckled, likely nodding to herself. " _Of course, of course... Perhaps an actual meeting would be preferable?_ " Not without introductions, which she happened to be skipping.

Again.

" _Pay attention to the news Kaiba-san_ ," Ishizu continued, Seto narrowing her eyes in response. " _Perhaps we can come to an agreement._ " ...Through the news? She continued to narrow her eyes, before looking over at the television.

...Well, it'd be worth humoring the woman just to see how much this failed. A bit of entertainment before getting back to what was important. "...Mokuba," she muttered, gesturing to the screen, "Turn the volume up..."

"Ah..." The boy stared, before nodding. "Alright," he said with a shrug, clicking the remote as the volume went from 'mute' to 'somewhat above a whisper'. Alright, lets see...

Currently there was just the reporter and... Aha.

...That other woman was probably Ishizu, given that she was holding a cellphone in her hand. " _Now then, Ishtar-san,_ " the reporter asked, holding the microphone forward as the tanned foreigner turned to face her, " _Is there anything in particular you would like to add in regards to the collection of Egyptian artifacts that are now on display here at the Domino museum?_ "

" _Only one thing_ ," the woman said politely, turning to look directly at the camera in such an eerie manner it felt as though 'Ishizu' was looking directly at them. She smiled, bowing her head somewhat before speaking. " _I wish for everyone to enjoy this exhibit while it's here... It's of great importance to my country after all..._ " Her country...

Hn. " _Yes_ ," Ishizu stated calmly on the other end of the phone, Seto turning back from the tv as her brother turned the volume down again for commercials. " _My country; you see_ ," she began calmly, " _I, like the objects on display, and from Egypt... To be precise, I am in charge of the Museums Sector within our Ministry of Antiquities._ " Museu- Why the hell was she getting a call from the department for _museums_! What did any of that have to do with- " _You'll notice I've extended an invitation to the exhibit that I helped provide materials for.._." Yes... Yes, but- " _The exhibit won't open until Monday._ " She knew that, it was on the screen, what the hell did it have to do with- _"However, I must request that you drop by for a... Private viewing this Friday._ " ...What. " _Directly after closing would be nice, though you'll be about ten minutes late due to traffic..._ "

...What... "... _Excuse_ me?" she asked incredulously, glaring at the phone as she scowled.

" _This Friday. Six thirty. I'll see you there, ten minutes after the fact,_ " she said plainly, the phone clicking on the other end to leave Seto with a dial tone. What...

The hell...

The woman stared at the phone incredulously, before slamming it on the cradle and standing from her seat. Of all the nerve!

"E-Er... Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked, watching as the woman stormed past to leave the office. "Where-"

"I'm testing my jet," she growled, grabbing her jacket from the side, "I got a notice yesterday that it was ready."

Maybe flying at mach 2 in a giant plane that looked like a dragon would prevent her from slamming the phone through the wall.

* * *

Friday had come with mostly expected incidents.

For one, he was finally freed of the white room hell that was the hospital. (Though Yugi was sadly stuck with that for at least two more weeks.)

The bracelet was cut off, he got his clothes back, his dogtags were still safely hidden away from... 'Prying' eyes (Though he had a nasty feeling that whoever was inhabiting the puzzle spotted them while he was digging for his shirt)...

And then things softly fell back into a more expected rhythm of chaos when leaving for the hospital ended with him getting carried off in a car with Mokuba to make sure he didn't run late for Seto's 'unique job'. The 'Bodyguard Job'.

Which he somehow failed to think too hard about until just now.

"H-Hahh... I thought she was jokin'..."

There was a chuckling sound from the side, the owner likely shaking his head. "Nope."

Bodyguard indeed. Auughh... Katsuya pulled awkwardly at the suit he was wearing, biting his lip as he looked in the mirror. Right down to the shoes and socks... Eck. "Y'know," he said somewhat loudly, looking over himself again, "When she said 'bodyguard', I didn' think she was serious! I mean," he continued, shrugging as he turned to the hall. "She's... Well..."

"Able to handle herself?" the second guard answered, poking his head around the corner with a smirk. Yeah. That one. The slightly taller man walked forward, shaking his head. "Hahhhh... You did the tie wrong, here..." He reached forward, Katsuya turning away somewhat awkwardly as the man re-did the tie. Oh come on, like he was doing this all the time... "There we go," the man muttered, crossing his arms. "And as for Seto-sama... Well, technically," he said with a shrug, "We're just there for 'show'." For show huh...

'All in the presentation' right? Sheesh... "That why I look like some kinda penguin even though we're all goin' in alone?" the blond muttered, looking over himself as 'Odoru' laughed from beside him.

"Hah! Partially," he said with a smirk, looking at the mirror a moment before turning back. "You didn't think we'd be going informally did you? Just because I said it's 'low key' doesn't mean we get to slack on that you know!" Katsuya merely glared, before his hand snapped up to catch the pair of shades tossed at him. Ah-

...Huh.

Sunglasses. "Hahaha... Hey, it's only tonight right? The fact is, we're the only two who finished the training that are left. Think of it this way," Odoru continued, Katsuya merely looking over the small radio that was attached to the shades, "The fact that she even asked for you to 'guard' her, however much it's based on appearance... Is not something you should take lightly."

"Of course," a third voice stated, the two turning as Kyouko walked in with a few wired devices on hand, "The fact that she even considered it is an incredible feat in itself..."

"O-Oii," Katsuya muttered, slipping the sunglasses on and looking over them with narrowed eyes. "What th' hell is that s'pposed t' mean?" he asked, watching as Kyouko quickly clipped the devices to the suits before stepping back.

The woman shrugged, shaking her head. "Ohhh... Nothing... Have fun with your 'date'," she said with a wink, leaving the room as Katsuya bristled. "Gh-! Why th' hell is everyone callin this a-"

"Hng-Hn!" Katsuya turned, blinking as Odoru coughed and jerked his head toward the door. One of Seto's other assistants- Fuguta- was waiting somewhat impatiently, albeit not without signs of amusement behind the shades.

“Ready?” he asked, the two guards trading a glance.

"Nh..." Katsuya moved out into the hall, frowning. "We're leavin' already?"

Odoru nodded, brushing a bit of hair from his face and moving to follow after Fuguta. "That's right,” the latter of the two explained. “The museum closes at six pm," he said with a short nod, "And it should take about half an hour to get there."

“Provided we don't dawdle of course,” the elder of the guards chuckled. Odoru turned to the blond for a moment, smirking as he propped the door with his foot. "Heh... First time out of the security room, this should be interesting, right?" Yeah yeah yeah... The blond frowned, crossing his arms as the taller coughed. "Remember to keep your mouth shut though, alright?" the man added seriously, frowning. "We're here to make an impression; namely a professional, yet powerful one. You might not be the most 'imposing' of people given your age," the man continued, ignoring the grumble that he received in response, "But given your track record," he added as the blond's expression vanished, "I have a feeling you have another way to pull that off..." T-Track re-

...Oh... That one.

Er... Katsuya blinked, slowly nodding as they entered the garage. "Er... Yea... Sure," he said with a cough, shaking his head as they stood near the entrance. "So... How's this workin' again..?"

Fuguta left that to Odoru to explain, focusing on notifying the driver that it was time to head out. "Well," Odoru began quietly, watching as the car pulled up to the garage entrance. "You'll be sitting on the left side, 'road' side... And when we're out of the car," he continued, looking down at the blond, "You'll be walking just behind and to the left of Seto-sama."

Katsuya nodded, leaning back on his toes somewhat as he listened. Sounded easy enough... "Kay..."

"I'll be sitting on the right," he continued, opening the door to the car as it stopped before hopping in as his 'partner' did the same, "Meaning I'll be handling the doors, giving you a little less to worry about." Worry?

What the hell would he be worried about? "Like what?"

"Like getting distracted by something when you should be opening a door," the man said somewhat 'matter-of-factly'.

...Ah. "...Oh." Odoru smirked, shaking his head as the car pulled out into the driveway, Fuguta visible only for a short while from the car's mirrors as he continued his task of message relaying.

"In any case... The important thing is to remember that technically, we're here for 'show'. So don't say anything!" Eh! A-Alright? "The bodyguard is simply 'the bodyguard' to the 'outside' world," Odoru explained, crossing his arms. "No name, no identity to go by. A human shield that has no reasons to be targeted, and no reason to stand out. That way," he continued, nodding somewhat as the car drove over to the door of the mansion, "We can keep the actual target from getting shot."

Wait, shot! "O-Oii," the blond protested, clenching his jaw, "I thought you said she could handle herself!"

Another smirk, the man moving to open the door as the car came to a stop at the mansion's main entrance. "Well yeah, in a fist fight," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. "But no one stands a chance against a bullet!"

Make him feel better why didn't he...

He stepped out of the car, holding the door open in wait for Seto as the chauffeur turned around the seat. "You shouldn't get too worried about things Jonouchi," Matsuda said with a small laugh, keeping his voice down as their 'boss' came over from the front door. "I highly doubt this is anything so highscale...If it were, they would be far more concerned about how young you are, trust me," he chuckled. Katsuya scowled even more heavily at the remark, mere grumblings replacing any actual words. "Personally," the man continued, turning back as footsteps came over the air, "I think he just wants you to take this seriously."

"But I am takin' this seriously!" he said with a shout, "Honest!"

"Why would you do anything else?"

"Nhy?" The blond turned, watching as Seto came in to take a seat in the middle as Odoru followed after.

"E-Ehhh..." He swallowed, grinning nervously as he pulled on his seatbelt. "...I wouldn't?"

The woman smirked, crossing her legs and putting her briefcase at the side as she gave the blond a smug look. "Exactly. Now..." She leaned back somewhat as the car drove off, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with." Haha, yeah... Oh hey, speaking of 'getting things over with'.

Katsuya looked out the window for a moment, before turning back to Seto. About this 'meeting'...

"...So," he said after a lengthy period of silence, the woman beside him raising an oddly calm eyebrow. "...Where'r we goin'?"

"The Art Museum of Domino," she answered, not looking away from where she was looking through the front window. "It's where the meeting was 'scheduled'." Katsuya nodded, looking back at the window for a moment before frowning.

...Why'd she seem tense about 'scheduled'...

...

...Oh well!

"...We meetin' with someone important?" he asked, a grin quickly coming back on his face. It'd be really cool if he was guarding at something important... ...Or something. Maybe another company bigshot, or even an actor or-

"That's one way to put it," Seto muttered, crossing her arms. Well that wasn't helpful! "The woman we are meeting with is the Chief Officer for the Museum Sector within the Ministry of Antiquities," the woman explained, a slight 'tinge' of annoyance becoming visible. "There are only two others above her station- the Minister for the organization, and the Prime Minister himself. She's an incredibly important figure in the Egyptian Government... Which is probably the only reason why I didn't ignore this," she added under her breath, the two beside her blinking a few times. Hehehe...

Still. Egypt. Cool...

...Waaaaiiit...

"...Wait... Egypt?" Egypt... And the museum? Those were not good things on a normal day thanks to the nonsense with the Puzzle, but... "Why're we-"

"Ah... Seto-sama?" The three in the back turned as the chauffeur rubbed his head, turning from the front and swallowing. "We've hit a bit of a roadblock..." A road block?

The others blinked, looking around the front seats and through the windows as Seto merely narrowed her eyes. "...What do you mean, a 'roadblock'?" the woman 'asked' rather testily, narrowing her eyes. "We're only five minutes from the museum..."

Matsuda coughed, a nervous smile in place. "Yes well... Unfortunately," he continued, tapping the GPS at the side, "There's been an accident on the road ahead." The man moved to switch lanes, shaking his head. "We're going to have to take a detour... Should add ten minutes to the time at most though, so not to worry..." Please let that not be a prob-

Katsuya frowned as the woman beside him stiffened, eyes widening briefly before narrowing to slits. "...How the hell..."

"Er..." He blinked, staring. No explosion... Huh! "...What'd y' say?"

Seto narrowed her eyes, her mood visibly darkening as the blond beside her stared. "Nothing," she growled, crossing her arms. "I said nothing..."

Katsuya blinked, looking behind the woman's head at Odoru only to get a slight shrug. Kay... Um... "So..." He coughed, attempting to grin again as he changed the subject. "Egypt eh?"

"That's right Mutt," the woman muttered under her breath, "Now shut your mouth and do your job. Namely keeping quiet!" Hihhhh!

Alright, alright... The blond nodded, turning to look out the window as he waited for them to arrive. Damn it. Way too quiet now...

"..."

"..."

"...Hey, do we have radio-"

There was a growl beside him, Katsuya turning as Seto glared. "I swear it mutt, if you don't shut. Up..."

"Alrigh'! Alrigh'..." Again the blond turned away, looking out the window before glancing at the woman beside him. Huh...

Interesting choice in clothing. She was wearing her jacket, but besides that, most of her clothes were pretty well skin tight...

...Damn it stop thinking of that...

"...I like yer gauntlet things..."

"They're braces," she muttered, still looking through the front window. "And what did I say about talking?" Hahaha, alright!

...Don't hurt him please... "...Got it..." Bracers though eh? ...Why the hell was she wearing-

"Seto-sama," the chauffeur stated, pulling up beside a building. Ah! Katsuya leaned forward, looking through Odoru's window as the 'Domino Museum' came into view, lights still on and doors likely still unlocked from the front. The car was set into 'park', Matsuda turning to look at the group. "We're here."

The woman nodded, both Odoru and Katsuya glancing at the clock before opening the doors to leave. "Six forty," the blond muttered, moving around the car as Seto stepped out as well. "We're ten minu-"

"I _KNOW_ , Mutt!" Okay, okay! Holy shit...

Geeze, what had her so pissed? All he said was that they were ten minutes late... (Damn traffic...)

The blond swallowed as the woman walked ahead of him, nervously looking over at Odoru only to receive a shrug. Well gee, that was helpful. Seriously, he knew she was testy but...

God! They made their way into the foyer of the museum, Katsuya attempting to appear at least somewhat 'blank' going in despite his eyes going every-which-way from behind the sunglasses. "Ah, you're here," a thickly accented voice stated, a woman walking over from the side of the foyer as they stood there. Tanned skin, black-brown hair... The woman was dressed simply, with what could almost pass as a nightgown in his opinion, but it was the fact that she was the same woman from the paper that caught Katsuya's attention. And there around her neck was that damn 'millennium necklace'...

Please dear god do not make him go through zombie hell again.

Or anything even somewhat related. Like the soul snatching. And the soul displacement. And...

Stuff...

The woman came forward, bowing somewhat as she looked over the group. "Welcome, welcome," she said politely, smiling as the guard behind and beside her looked over Odoru and Katsuya both. The two guards also returned the 'stare', the younger looking more out of curiosity than 'appraisal' if anything. Huh...

Egypt eh? ...Didn't really look...

"It's an honor to finally see you in person Kaiba-san," the woman continued, gaining no real response from the CEO before her. "The game industry your company set the level for is developing at an incredible speed, you should be proud of your achievements." Kay...

Again there was little reaction, the woman continuing on as she looked over the three before her. "Now... I am 'Ishtar Ishizu'. I'm here curating the exhibit for as long as it's on display," she 'explained', still smiling. "Please, follow me," she continued, gesturing down the hall as the others again reacted with silence. "We have much to talk about... I trust your drive was mostly uneventful?"

Seto for her part, managed to keep a fairly straight if not _barely_ annoyed expression in place at Ishizu's words, though what the two were talking about Katsuya had no clue. "It was," the woman answered plainly, eyes narrowed. Maybe because they were ten minutes late? Was that a big deal with these kind of things? "Now, would you care to tell me what business the Egyptian Ministry has with me?" Yeah, also why the museum? Someone forgot to tell him that, he was pretty sure.

Katsuya's eyes drifted off to the side with those thoughts, the blond staring at a few animal-headed jars on display, before tapping on his shoulder caught his attention. "Hn?" Odoru frowned, making a quick 'shh' motion before turning back to the front and pointing. ' _Pay attention_!' Right, right...

Pay attention to pretending to be a guard, and not to the weird looking stuff decorating the walls, he got it...

But seriously, that one hippo-lion statue thing looked... ...Scary. And eerily familiar to say the least... Hihhhh...

"Yes... Well as I'm sure you know given your reaction to my position, the precursor to the Ministry of Antiquities," Ishizu began, Katsuya raising an eyebrow for a moment, "Was established in 1859 to protect and preserve ancient treasures and findings within the country from the threat of tomb robbers and treasure hunters. Today however," the woman continued, gesturing somewhat to the statues they were passing, "The services have been extended to monitoring various exhibits worldwide, dividing their functions across various sectors." Kay... If that explained what she was doing there then...

That made sense he guessed...

Katsuya stared, unimpressed and distracted as his attention was again snagged by the somewhat more intriguing stone carvings they were passing on the side. Had no clue what they were going on about but...

Whatever...

Evidently Seto wasn't in the mood either. "If you're looking for someone interested in this, keep searching 'Ishtar-san'. Because if you know so much about my own company, you'll know full well that I'm only interested in top-line, technologically advanced products. I have no interest in thousand years old broken tablets... If you're going to waste my time," the woman continued, tone darkening considerably, "Then let me know now, so that I can save myself the continued aggravation."

There was a small bit of silence, Ishizu merely continuing forward. "Ahhh, do not worry," she began, Katsuya idly raising his eyebrows at a fairly unexpected (if not impossible) reaction. "I have no intentions of wasting your time Kaiba-san. In fact, within one night's time," the woman continued with a smile, "I believe that you'll be seeing these 'old broken tablets' in a completely different light..."

At this Katsuya blinked, briefly looking at Seto and snorting mentally. Haha! YEAH. Not with the mood she was in...

...Damn it, he was going to be stuck with that on the way back now...

"Did you know," the woman stated, the blond far behind her listening in with mild curiosity, "Those duel monsters that your company so treasures were inspired by Egyptian carvings?" Okay. That had Seto's attention. Katsuya blinked, mentally shaking off the fact that within two weeks he'd managed to hear the same obscure fact twice. Figured it'd come from an actual Egyptian the second time around...

Though now that he thought about it, it was probably for the best that this was the second time he got this news; he likely wouldn't have been taking it as well as the woman directly in front and beside him, given the fact that Seto's face had instantly jumped from guarded neutrality to absolute alarm.

Nawwwww, if it was him, he'd be screaming damn it. Ishizu appeared to ignore the silent incredulity behind her however, merely nodding her head and continuing on. "Pegasus J. Crawford- the man who personally created and designed the game. And for each of the monsters and spell cards he has designed and painted, an identical stone carving was found... Something that he uncovered while touring the deserts of Egypt. Most of these carvings," the woman stated somewhat absently, "Are back in my home country, where they belong. However, after much negotiation," she continued, coming toward a completely dark room and turning to face the group with a neutral smile, "The Ministry of Antiquities agreed to part with a number of relics from the time of an 18th dynasty pharaoh. I wonder what sort of reaction you'll have," she continued mysteriously, smiling oddly as she looked them over, "When you look upon these carved portions of a pharaoh's mural..."

A mural? ...A... Pharaoh's mural?

...That actually sounded pretty cool.

Katsuya blinked, before tensing somewhat as Ishizu turned on the guards. Eh, what what-

"Now; from this point on, I would like to request that our guards remain behind..." Damn it. "Standing by the door will give them plenty of time to react should something happen," the woman continued calmly, "But don't worry... Nothing will."

...Okay... How the hell did she know that? Not that he was complaining or anything but...

The blond blinked a few times, looking up at Odoru from the corner of his eye and then back to Seto as the woman nodded. Alright...

To the door. He sighed quietly, watching as those ahead walked through the door. "Now then," Ishizu stated, walking into the room and vanishing into the darkness. "Please..."

The woman's voice soon faded out, a light flicking on after a few moments as Katsuya turned to look up at Odoru. "Er... What now?" he asked, Odoru in question bowing his head with a sigh as the Egyptian guard at the side raised an eyebrow.

...What, something he said? Odoru shook himself, looking to the other guard with a shrug. "He's new," he muttered, before pulling the now scowling blond to the side of the door. Come on, what was he five? Just tell him... "Look," the man muttered, "We're guarding the entrance alright? You stand on this side, I stand on that side, no talking, no listening to what they're talking about," he added, a somewhat narrowed look from the Egyptian guard coming from the side as he said this, "And try to stop looking around at the exhibit, alright?"

"I wasn'-" The man gave him a look, Katsuya shrugging and nodding his head. "Alrigh', alrigh'..." God, worse than trying to talk to his mom on the phone...

"Good... Now then..." Odoru took his 'post' at the other side, the Egyptian guard appearing 'content' with standing off to Katsuya's side and looking over the displays. Alright...

To 'work'. Hnnn. When he got over the creepiness, this stuff was actually kinda cool looking...

Few tablets with animal-headed guys on them (Those were gods right?), the occasional animal. Cool stuff... So long as he avoided the mummies at le-

"-!"

Katsuya turned as a muffled and largely incomprehensible shout came from inside the room, the blond moving to turn his head toward the sound only for Odoru to reach across the door and push him back.

"O-Oi," he whispered, glaring at the man from across the door. "What th' hell-"

Odoru merely rolled his eyes, looking at his watch. "Nothing's happening Jonouchi, and if you were paying attention you'd know that..." Hang on what?

"Hey," he muttered, narrowing his eyes, "What th' hell's that supposed t' mean..."

"My," the Egyptian at the side muttered under his breath, accent pulling the blond's attention back from the shouts and mutterings in the room behind him. "You weren't _kidding_ , he is new...is he just standing in?"

"Oi oi oi..." Seriously...

Seriously, it couldn't possibly be that damn obvious! Odoru shrugged, shaking his head as he continued to ignore the blond. "Well, he's better than he looks at least..." OIIIII...

...Wait, was that a compliment or...

"Your Japanese is pretty good," he continued with a smile, "I didn't expect the guard to know the language... Egypt isn't really close to Japan, I wouldn't think the language was something readily taught." The man shrugged, shaking his head and smiling. "Well, thanks to recent dealings with the Ministry it's pretty much required, or so 'Ishtar-san' says..."

...Hey, he really was pretty good with the language...

"Though I'm still practising," the Egyptian continued with a wry smile, "I'm really not that good..."

The two turned, Odoru shaking his head. "No really," he insisted with a grin, "It's great, you're doing incredibly well..!"

The guard coughed somewhat awkwardly, shaking his head. "Oh... I don't think..."

_"SHUT UP!!"_ The three paused, Katsuya moving to turn his head toward Seto's shout only for the Egyptian to turn him back again.

"Oi!"

"What did I tell you," Odoru whispered, shaking his head. "Completely new..."

"I see," the Egyptian muttered, raising his eyebrows as Katsuya scowled. Honestly, he wasn't that-

"Nonsense," he heard Seto shout, the blond's eyes drifting off to the side as the yelling continued. "NONSENSE! This is NONSENSE, this is a JOKE!" What the hell was going on in there! He hadn't heard this kind of crap since...

Well, since he'd seen the woman with nothing on! (...He should really stop thinking of that) Seriously, what was going on in-

"Jonouchi," Odoru warned darkly, "Stop trying to look in the room before I send in a request to have you suspended..."

His head snapped back to the hall instantly, the blond growing white. "N-Nyyyh! Got it!"

The shouts calmed, Katsuya crossing his arms as he looked over at the other guard. Tch...

Honestly... "Would still be nice t' know what-"

"We're leaving," a curt and disguised voice said from beside him, Katsuya jumping from where he was leaning against the wall.

"E-Ehh..?" The blond turned as Seto stormed past, briefcase gripped in one hand and a card of sorts held in the other. "Wh-What?" Where'd she get the card...

"Don't question it Jonouchi," Odoru muttered, pressing the small radio on his side and contacting the chauffeur as the paid also took off down the hall. "Just roll with it and start walking..."

"But what th' hell is all this..." The blond tensed for a moment, watching as the Egyptian guard and Ishizu briskly walked past. Looked like they were heading off too- "Eh..." He blinked a few times, frowning as the woman glanced at the blond from the corner of her eye before walking out. A...

Another flash. He'd seen another flash, something with eyes... What was that? He stopped for a moment, only for Odoru to shoulder him from behind and yank the blond rather roughly from his thoughts. "Keep walking," the guard warned, keeping his voice down low as they stormed toward the foyer and toward the main entrance.

"I got it, I got it," he hissed, picking up the pace along with his volume as he looked ahead. "I jus' don't get what all th' shoutin' was about!"

"Nothing Mutt," Seto muttered, pushing past the doors and heading down the stairs with the guards on her tail. Matsuda already had the car running and waiting for them, Odoru rushing ahead to open one of the doors for Seto. "Now quiet."

"But you were loud'r than Mokuba when he w's runnin' late f'r school that one day," the blond, protested, frowning.

"I said quiet Mutt!"

"Hey, does this have t' do with those tablets?" he asked as they climbed into the car, Seto still visibly tensing beside him as they took their seats and shut the doors, "'Cause Yugi's Jii-chan mentioned that a while ago, an'-"

The woman instantly turned on the blond, fixing him with a glare to rival that of the very day she'd held a gun to his temple. "I said SHUT UP, MUTT." N-Nyh _hiihhhhhh.._!

Katsuya swallowed, leaning back against the seat and holding his breath for a moment as they pulled out of the street to head back to the mansion. S-Scary...

He'd forgotten what that look looked like damn it, that was scary... "...O-ok," he finally muttered, turning to look out the window fairly awkwardly. "Alrigh'..."

The rest of the drive was filled with nothing but silence. One person holding it by fear, two by professionalism.

The fourth and female one merely in an attempt to ease a raging headache.

But when entering the foyer that night, yet another 'caffeine point' to keep the blond awake was added to the pile, Katsuya having the luck of getting figuratively smacked with it while he attempted to pull off the tie he was wearing.

"...Jonouchi," Seto growled, heading into the coat room as her 'guard' stared at her back. "Tell your friend to get his deck ready; we'll be fighting soon enough."

As to what 'soon enough' was, Katsuya wasn't sure.

But he sure as hell hoped it didn't interfere with the plans that he and Mokuba had set up for the Golden Week, given that they'd already extended the... 'Extra' invite.


	2. Ananke's Weave

It could be said that to truly understand something one had to see it from all sides.

In simplistic terms there were three. There was the side of the one presenting an argument, the side of the bystander, the side of the 'defender'.

In the case of what occurred at the museum that night there were also three sides, though to define it as an 'argument' would be fairly inaccurate. It was more...

Just a mess. A big, knotted mess between an Egyptian, a CEO, and a stand in bodyguard. The side of Ishizu Ishtar was likely best left unsaid for the moment; there were some things in her family that just weren't ready to be dredged up from underground, unlike the tablets she'd shown to 'Seto Kaiba'.

And they likely wouldn't be for a while.

Katsuya Jonouchi's side on the other hand was simple, in that he was horribly confused. Which was expected given that he'd literally been locked out of the loop this time around. Between seeing things that weren't there and seeing things that _were_ there ten to twenty minutes or hours later, it was probably for the best as well.

Seto's perspective however...

When the lights had been switched on she'd been more than shocked, for all that she had done well to hide it. But the build up to such emotion had come from before her eyes fell upon the tablet. Before the lights had gone on, she'd been at least partially calm. This 'meeting' was so far proving useless if not annoying to new levels thanks to the mention of Pegasus (not to mention this ridiculous mention of stone tablets... Though she supposed inspiration had to come from somewhere)...

But not so much that it was any worse than the less-than productive board meetings she'd occasionally been stuck dealing with. She was a bit sore perhaps, about the matter of Ishizu correctly guessing she would be ten minutes late but she could deal with that. Time was passing, and there was no way she could possibly be stuck there for more than an hour at the most. Maybe it was the sheer amusement of watching the mutt behind her squirm in an attempt to remain silent and comfortable while in a suit. Knowing him, it was probably the best thing he'd worn since a thread-bare hand-me-down at a Middle school graduation.

Something that actually showed in her opinion- who would have thought that he would manage to look 'alright' in a suit? Not that she would remark on even that much of course- better to leave things as they were than give the moron something to grin about in her vicinity.

Listening to the current Chief Officer of the Egyptian Ministry's 'museum sector' going on about stone tablets and duel monsters had one solid thought running through her mind. Perhaps two, if she wanted to be more precise. One was the question of if the Chief Officer actually believed the words coming from her mouth.

The other was just wishing for this night to be over as soon as possible.

"Now then," Ishizu was saying, stepping to the side to turn on a light switch as they walked into the dark room. From the light behind them, their shadows were made to stretch far into the dark. "Please," she stated calmly, gesturing to the side, "See the origin of Duel Monster's cards..."

Yessss, because this was exactly what her evening neede-

The light filled the room, Seto's eyes widening as the tablets before them were illuminated. She wanted to ask herself who paid so much for such an elaborate prank. She wanted to, because then she could be more properly angry, instead of something more _confusing_ than that.

She wanted to, but then why couldn't she make herself believe it?

Why couldn't she stop staring at the stone before her?

Seto stepped forward, mouth dropping open somewhat as she looked at the tablet before her. This stone... This enormous carved stone, it had to be fake! The pentacle depicting Exodia sat high at the top, images of monsters such as the Skull demon, the 'Feral Imp' carved about the bottom amid hieroglyphs...

This was impossible... "In ancient Egypt," Ishizu began, apparently taking advantage of the silence from her 'guest', "There was a time when the people believed that disasters in the world were caused by the monsters within people's hearts..." She certainly didn't learn that from her text books. "For this reason," the woman continued calmly, "The pharaohs and priests of that time sculpted tablets of varying sizes, believing that they could seal these monsters away within carvings in their image. This practice lasted for a number of years," Ishizu explained, hands held loosely at her sides as she followed her guest's gaze to the tablet, "Preserving the worlds peace for as long as it did..." Of course. Because any and all ancient wars that took place in that time agreed with that logic, didn't they? "The monsters you see on this tablet before you were said to contain dark and evil powers," the woman beside her continued, voice quite clearly that of someone who believed their own words. "Powers beyond that of a human's comprehension... Because of those powers," she explained calmly, "It was not long before those under the Pharaoh's reign discovered the potential to wield the monsters as weapons... They would take the monsters from the tablet," she explained, turning from the tablet to look at Seto with an odd stare, "And they would fight with them."

What..?

The woman swallowed, narrowing her eyes under her 'host's gaze. What, so they were fighting with duel monsters in ancient Egypt? Pah! Impossible...

This was impossible and she would be glad to get out of here- "There is a second portion of the mural here in this museum," Ishizu stated calmly, moving to the side to gesture to another large tablet on display. Seto blinked, still frowning as she listened. "A 'central' piece, the reason why I have asked to meet you here. Please," she continued, looking toward the tablet as her 'guest' frowned. "Look closely..." Hnnn...

...If it got her out of here faster...

The woman gave a curt nod, walking over in silence and silently taking a deep breath. Alright. Monsters on what was apparently the source of Pegasus' inspiration (a pretty terrible source really...) was something she could 'handle'. It wasn't as though it was that important... But-

"Gh..." The woman tensed as she turned to the second tablet, eyes widening. "This..."

Seto's gaze instantly honed in on the carved duo at the bottom, the grip on her briefcase tightening as she stared. Yugi. Standing at the bottom were two people, one in robes of some kind, the other...

This...

This was _YUGI_ , there was only one damn person in the world with hair that ridiculous! "The young pharaoh who fought alongside the Dark Magician..." Of course... Of course the 'tablet' would have his signature monster... "As for the High Priest standing opposite him," Ishizu added, "Controlling the white beast in what is presumably battle..." Blue-Eyes, the woman mentally corrected, staring with wide eyes. That monster wasn't some 'beast', it was... "Well," she said with a small smile, "We know as much about him as the pharaoh himself..." Of COURSE. "This mural," Ishizu continued, staring at the tablet in what appeared to be silent reverence, "...It's been passed down within my family, protected for generations dating back to thousands of years ago... The 'mark of the Duelist War', one of the few objects in existence that now prove its existence. And now," the woman stated with an odd smile, turning to her frozen guest, "The battle continues..." Bullshit. This was...

Complete...

"This can't be," Seto muttered under her breath, volume slowly raising as she ignored the words of the woman beside her. No no no no _NO_! "What is Yugi doing on an ancient relic!" Was it even 'ancient', this...

This had to be some kind of trick she tried to tell herself, there was no way that he had ancient Egyptian ancestors with that much of a resemblance! It was complete...

Ishizu turned as her 'guest' continued to stare at the tablet incredulously, blinking a few times. "Yugi?" she asked, eyebrows raised somewhat in genuine confusion. "I don't know about any 'Yugi'... I do know that the battle you see depicted in this tablet, however old," she added with a slight nod, "Still live on today in some form however. As for 'Yugi'," she added with a neutral stare, blinking slowly despite the clearly 'unstable' state of her guest, "The figure you are looking at is that of a nameless pharaoh from the 18th dynasty." ...What.

...WHAT. "A pharaoh?" the woman repeated, eyes wide as Ishizu nodded. A... A 'King', was she...

Was she serious, was she-

"Correct..." BULLSHIT. Damn it this was- "Look, at the bottom of the tablet," she stated, Seto's eyes drifting downward to where a portion of the tablet appeared to be missing. Ah... Those marks. While she hardly believed all of this, those marks... "This cartouche... The nameplate," she clarified, blinking as she gestured to the stone before them. "It indicates that the name of the figure you see here was that of a pharaoh... But the name has been defaced," Ishizu continued, gaze appearing to soften in slight grief. "And for that reason, though we know much about the time he lived in," the woman explained with a slight frown, "He is the only pharaoh whose name is nowhere to be seen, be it in his tomb, or upon the carved tablets of his time. He has been completely erased from history... A nameless pharaoh..."

Who even had the boy's damn 'puzzle', she noted with a clenched jaw, shaking just slightly as she stared at the tablet. 18th dynasty pharaoh...

That was it damn it! "A PHARAOH?" she shouted incredulously, turning on the woman beside her with wide and almost rage filled eyes. "You think he was a _PHARAOH_? That's nonsense! That's YUGI!" she continued with a roar, anger increasing as the woman beside her merely stood calmly in place, silently watching her 'guest' point toward the tablet. "And you think he's somehow an ancient 'pharaoh' from thousands of years ago? How do I know that you didn't simply build this slab a few days before calling?" Seto spat, gritting her teeth as she pointed accusingly at Ishizu. "Show me the proof that this tablet is as old as you say! And don't point me to the 'carbon date'," she continued, growling darkly as she brought her hand back to her side. "Carbon dating doesn't work perfectly on stone... Prove to me that this is real!"

Ishizu merely sighed, the woman beside her staring in slight shock. She didn't even flinch as she shouted, Seto realized in quiet shock. Completely calm... This woman was completely calm.

After all that... "Seto," Ishizu stated calmly, the woman instantly tensing at the use of her first name. "Do not let your heart waver, or your mind blind you from what stands before you. Look at this tablet... It should speak to you in someway, I'm sure..."

'Speak' to her? Tch! Impossible... It wasn't even real, this was _impossible_!

Even so she looked at the tablet, swallowing as her eyes drifted over that of the High Priest as if guided to that spot. It was impossible...

It _had_ to be..!

Yet in the back of her mind, the woman realized with a cold shock, she could hear...

_'...Pharaoh,'_ an old and weathered voice muttered in the 'distance', the room's surroundings appearing to fade out as Seto continued to stare at the tablet. ' _The man who stands before you has a level of power that the likes of us have never even seen before! His skills surpass many of even our most experienced high priests! With great honor,'_ the man continued, voice echoing as though it were spoken in an enormous chamber, _'I request that he be a member of your council..._ '

_'...And I accept_ ,' a strong and eerily familiar voice stated, Seto's blood running cold at the sound. ' _Priest,_ ' the voice continued, words clearly in a language that the world no longer spoke, ' _What is your name?_ '

This voice...

_'I am called...'_

Impossible! "Gh... Hk..." Abruptly her senses returned, the woman tearing her eyes from the tablet and swallowing back a shout. Impossible...

Seto shut her eyes, gritting her teeth as she took a shaking breath. This was...

_IMPOSSIBLE_! "Hn... The young priest who fights with the pharaoh," Ishizu muttered, looking at her 'guest' from the corner of her eye as Seto silently attempted to recover from the 'vision'. Not now damn it... Not... "The beast he's summoned... Is it not like-"

"SHUT UP!" The woman beside her merely shut her eyes as her 'guest' shouted, Seto turning on her with wide and denying eyes. Impossible damn it... This was all... "Nonsense..." Nonsense, it was all just... "Nonsense, this is all NONSENSE! A JOKE!" she raged, gritting her teeth. "'Duel Monsters' being inspired by actual battles between so-called 'monsters of the heart'... The game was created seven years ago, and whether or not the 'inspiration' came from your country, what happens today has nothing to do with whatever 'happened' then! Nor is what happens 'now' a reflection of the past!"

The Egyptian opened her eyes again, still looking at the tablet as her 'guest' shouted at her. "So you say... But just as the magician 'Aleister Crowley' used icons from the Book of Thoth for his Thoth Tarot... Is it so hard to believe that the tablets before you are legitimately the source of Pegasus Crawford's fated creation of the current card game?" No, it was hard to believe that giant demons existed in those same rocks and fought in the same fashion. Seto merely swallowed the thoughts back however, narrowing her eyes as she calmed down somewhat. Pegasus...

That bastard. Hang on...

Why did she hear...

_'My Pharaoh_ ,' a familiar voice was muttering in her ear, Seto growing pale as she again bit her tongue. _'I have returned.'_ That voice...

That voice!

"Perhaps fate still has ties in this game," Ishizu stated calmly, turning to look at the teen beside her as she continued. "Leading the souls of the king and the priest depicted here into battle as it did thousands of years ago..."

_'I have returned..._ '

Damn it get out of her head! Get out..!

"Ishizu," Seto muttered darkly, gritting her teeth as she looked to the woman. "If you, a high ranking government official, have called me here to do nothing but lecture me on the occult," she growled, gritting her teeth and continuing on, "Then I can guarantee that my time will not have been wasted nearly as much as yours. I'm leaving," she added, tightening her already intense grip on the briefcase at her side. "I have a gaming platform to test..."

"I know," Ishizu stated calmly, causing her 'guest' to stop in her tracks. She 'knew'? "The second version of the 'Duel Disk'... Or to a majority of the world, the 'first'," she continued, Seto growing still paler as she swallowed. How...

She turned, narrowing her eyes and heavily masking the shock of the situation. How in the hell did she know that..!

"You're a busy man 'Seto'," Ishizu stated, her guest's colour returning with anger as she continued. "I know that there are things you need to do... So with that in mind, allow me to return to the main subject. Did you know Seto?" she stated, ignoring the steadily rising level of aggravation from her 'guest' at the continued use of her given name, "That of all the cards that Pegasus created, there are three 'Legendary' ones that never made it past the boundaries of his own home?" Ah?

...Legendary she said? "..What..?" Something other than the ridiculous 'Toon' monsters?

...Something _worth_ this waste of a night? Seto continued to stare with narrowed eyes, still frowning as Ishizu nodded and continued. "Take a look," she stated, gesturing back to the tablet as her 'guest' walked back from the center of the room, "At the carvings near the top of this tablet surrounding the Millennium Puzzle," the woman continued, Seto staring at the carvings with somewhat wide eyes as she took in the 'monsters'. "These carvings depict the most powerful of beasts, the forms of three of Egypt's most powerful gods... The 'hidden ones'," Ishizu 'clarified', Seto merely staring upward. "Ones that Pegasus came to create three unique and powerful cards from... Look," she continued, the woman beside her rendered silent for reasons beyond her own knowledge, "From right to left... The God Soldier of the Obelisk, he who has no name... The Saint Dragon 'Osiris', king of the skies... And lastly, balancing the powers from above, the Sun Dragon, Ra. These beasts," Ishizu stated, still looking directly at the tablet's stone, "Representing the polarities of the universe, are said to be infinite in power... Light and Darkness, Good and Evil... Heaven and Earth," the woman finished, Seto still staring in silence. "It is said that the one who carries the card forms of these beasts, the supreme and victorious one, the king of kings, will reign over the realm of monsters... And given the title 'The King of Games'." The king of games...

...Alright, to hell if she believed the tablet crap but... If there was one thing she did know...

"Where are these cards?" Seto asked plainly, turning to Ishizu with a swallow, "Who has them now?"

"That... Is why I need you." ...What.

...Damn it.

"I need you to find out their location," Ishizu admitted, bowing her head with a sigh as her guest mentally groaned. "You see, Pegasus greatly regretted creating these cards... He himself considered it his greatest mistake," she explained, turning back to Seto with a slight frown. "For if those in possession of the cards were able to wield it's power, it would be as though the Gods themselves walked the earth..." Power? ...What kind of power? Ishizu continued on, the woman beside her listening with narrowed eyes. "For this reason, the cards were hidden away from the world... They could be used for any number of things, good or evil... But in the worst hands, they could take even the opponent's life. They are the ultimate weapon, the ultimate power," the Egyptian pressed, apparently ignorant to the sudden jump in interest from her guest, "And all in paper form..." The ultimate weapon...

Seto continued to frown, thinking back to her matches against Yugi. The first battle... During that fight when the cards themselves had come alive. Was that the kind of 'power' that these cards supposedly had? The power that had done...

'That'?

...Hnnn... "Pegasus tried to destroy these cards of course," the woman beside her was continuing, Seto still frowning, "But in the end... It was impossible." What... Seto turned, the frown deepening at those words. He couldn't destroy a set of cards? "So in the end, he was forced to turn to the source." The...

The source?

"At his request," Ishizu continued, turning away from the tablet, "The cards were buried in deep in the Valley of the Kings, the lands that their spirits originated from. In three different locations they were placed, hidden away from the world... However," she muttered darkly, bowing her head somewhat. "They were stolen..." Stolen!

How? If it was a set of cards hidden in the desert then... "Who would know about the existence of cards so secret that even the one who made them was afraid to speak of them?" she asked incredulously, frowning as she looked at her 'host'. There was no one, unless it was an inside job who could possibly... "Who-"

"The Ghouls." ...There was that of course. There was... Also that. "You've heard of them, haven't you?" Ishizu asked, turning to the side. Seto frowned, gritting her teeth as she mentally nodded. Ooooh yes. She most certainly did.

"The Rare Card Hunters... They stole them?" Of course... Of course it would be the 'Duel Monsters' equivalent of a mafia gang. Damn it. It was hard enough tracking down cards that were legitimately earned... But to think that rats like them had them? Ugh... "Tch... I've already been dealing with issues of bootleg cards from those scum," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. Bad enough that they were taking and re-selling the cards to the highest bidder...

Hn! Like their namesake they were rotten to the core... Monsters who dredged up corpses from the ground and devoured their flesh... Or in this case 'hidden god cards'. Like hell she'd let that happen...

"Seto," Ishizu stated calmly, the teen turning from where she had again been staring at the tablet. "I'm asking you, with both the honor of my country, myself at risk... And with Pegasus' own wishes on the line. I ask that you help us get these cards back." Get them back? The woman's eyes narrowed, watching as Ishizu turned back to the tablet with a frown. "We held this exhibit in Domino for this purpose, revealing the mural of the God Card's origin... You could say that this tablet has it's own power," she continued, her guest merely raising a mental eyebrow at the statement. "Attracting duelists from all over. ...Or perhaps you could do that yourself." Hnn?

Seto blinked, eyes narrowing further as Ishizu again turned away from the tablet. "You expect me to simply go along with this and hold a duel monster's tournament... Because of a stone tablet?" Ahahaha... Aha...

What. "No," Ishizu stated calmly, smiling somewhat despite her guest's evident annoyance, "I'm asking you to host a city-wide tournament containing Japan's duelists with the purpose of weeding out the Ghouls carrying the God Cards."

Ahhh... Now wasn't that a specific request. "And what makes you so sure that a tournament would do that?" the teen responded, eyes narrowed. Tournaments took time. This wasn't exactly something you could simply request and set into motion right off the bat...

Although...

"Unless you're expecting me to participate myself," she added with a smirk, continuing on as a small plan formed in the back of her mind. "Given that they'll likely want my Blue-Eyes cards as well..."

There was a small bit of silence, Ishizu pulling out a card from her sleeve. "True, that is the case... But the main reason will be because I will be giving you this," she stated calmly, holding the card out for Seto to see. Hn..? What cards besides the obvious were rarer than- "The Great God, Soldier of the Obelisk."

_-THUD_

Oh, was she still carrying that briefcase? She'd forgotten. Ahahaha...

Aha...

_WHAT THE HELL._

Seto stared at the card, slowly taking it in her hands and holding it up to the light. A completely blue, one of a kind card bearing the image of a monster almost reminiscent of Exodia... "This is..!" What...

What was she doing with this card here, she'd already said enough to prove it was literally priceless! Where did she get this-

"We were able to prevent this card from being stolen," Ishizu said clearly, staring at the teen across from her as Seto slowly looked back up from the card. "Though carrying a great risk in bringing it here. I am entrusting it to you," she stated with a blank expression, "So that you can recover the other two." So bait then.

Hehe... "Hhnhn _hnhnhn_... And are you sure you can trust me with this 'Ishizu'?" she asked, a dark smirk appearing on her face as she held the card. If she was having the nerve to refer to her by name then she was doing the same damn it.

Not that it appeared to have any effect mind...

"What if I were to retrieve the other two cards... But refuse to let them go?" Like any other sane person would in her position...

Ishizu merely stared back, expression neutral and unchanging. "I trust you," she said calmly, turning to look at the door. Of course she did. "By the way," she said with the same un-changing tone, closing her eyes. "If you intend to avoid another traffic jam, I suggest you leave now Seto..." She handed over another card, bowing her head. "Should you wish to contact me... This is my number. Though I know for a fact that I will only receive one call from you within this year..." Gh...

What!

_'I have re-'_ Damn it what was that voice doing in her head! ...AGAIN!

Seto tensed, gritting her teeth before grabbing the briefcase from the side. Again with the 'assumptions'! And the 'voice'...

She was leaving. "I see," she said with a frown, before turning to leave the room. "But if I were you 'Ishizu'," the woman added darkly, "I wouldn't wait on that call... Now," she continued, passing through the door with grit teeth. Time to go... "We're leaving," she growled, passing both of her 'guards' as she walked briskly toward the front doors. Briefly the woman turned to the older of the two, eyes narrowed as she muttered under her breath. "Get the chauffeur to bring the car to the front..."

"Of course Seto-sama," Odoru answered calmly, the second of the 'guards', hurriedly picking up his pace to keep up with the woman. "Right away."

Jonouchi as well hurriedly jumped into a brisk walk, easily losing the already paper thin mask of professionalism as he ran. "E-Ehh, wh-what..?" Oh please, spare her the 'questions' for just a single damn moment...

Past the statues, past the tablets, god damn it if she saw another 'Ancient Egyptian Relic'...

_'My pharaoh,_ ' the voice was muttering as she walked, briefly squeezing her eyes shut as she attempted to drown it out, _'I hav-_ ' SHUT UP!

"I jus' don' get what all th' shoutin' was about," Jonouchi was saying behind her as the woman pushed past the front doors, eyes narrowed as she turned back. Of course he didn't, if he was doing his job then he wasn't listening...

"Nothing mutt," she growled under her breath, watching as Odoru charged ahead to open the door. Just get her home, where she could think all this through... It was nothing damn it, "Now _QUIET_."

Of course she thought bitterly, he never listened, now did he? "But you were loud'r than Mokuba when he was runnin' late f'r school that one day," he was protesting as he came through the car on the other side, apparently oblivious to her continually rising level of agitation. The woman grit her teeth, grabbing her seatbelt as the doors to the car were shut and the vehicle set off. "I said QUIET Mutt!"

"Hey," Jonouchi said with a cough, still ignoring the woman beside him. "Does this have t' do with those tablets?" Mention anything even related to those giant slabs of rocks and she swore it, she would- "'Cause Yugi's Jii-chan mentioned that a while ago an'-"

Again with the voices! _'I have returned from the ruins in the north._ ' THAT.

WAS.

IT!

The woman reeled on the blond as the car drove down the road, eyes wide with rage. Just...

STOP! "I SAID SHUT UP, MUTT!" Now that...

That got a reaction. Jonouchi instantly froze, nodding as he muttered 'alright' a few times under his breath. ' _Alrigh'... Alrigh'..._ ' Good...

Seto turned back to look at the front, crossing her arms as she fingered the card in her hands before slowly rubbing her head with her free one. Ugh... She didn't know whether she was pissed, elated or both any more...

Though at least the drive was silent right? She took in a deep breath, card-hand under her other arm as she closed her eyes. ...No voices...

...Right? The woman mentally groaned, still rubbing her head as they drove. Alright...

She needed to figure this out. Three God cards. The three most powerful cards in the entire game if looking at the description of this one told her right. She hadn't put any strategies to work with it granted but... Yeah.

This card was powerful. Very. Powerful.

It was a strange feeling that came from the card, a feeling that ordinarily she would scoff at but the fact was...

She could definitely beat Yugi with this.

And if she had all three...

A wicked grin appeared on her face at the thought, low chuckling coming through the car as she did so. Oh... OHHHHH this was good. With that kind of power...

Hhn _hnhnhnhn_...

As for this tournament idea. The 'ticket' to getting the other two... A 'battle royale', sweeping across the city... If she played her cards right, this could also sell a fair amount of equipment as well. The duel disks would be ready around June wouldn't they? She frowned somewhat, disappearing into thought as the car pulled into the driveway of the mansion. If the duel disks were to be used, the 'playing field' would increase considerably. They would need lots of space...

At the same time the experience alone would be worth it to half of Japan's 'duelists' if she placed the events right. But she'd need something else to entice the players... And _especially_ to gain the attention of the Rare Hunters.

It looked as though Ishizu was right to 'assume', she thought to herself as she walked into the house, briefly turning to Jonouchi as she headed for the coat room. A 'Battle City'...

Hn! "Jonouchi," she stated somewhat coldly, her mood still not quite over-with. The blond looked up from where he was fiddling with his tie, blinking a few times as she continued. "Tell your friend to get his deck ready... We'll be battling soon enough," she told him, before moving off to go to her study. Very soon...

All it would take was a bit of planning... That was all.

Seto pulled the door to her study open, walking in and letting it slam shut behind her. Just a bit of planning... She moved forward, not bothering to turn the light on as she took a seat at her desk. Just a bit of planning she told herself, looking over the card in her hands once more as she leaned back on her chair. "Hn..."

_'The God of the Obelisk_ '... Requiring three tributes, with four thousand attack and defense points...

It would destroy all monsters on the field with additional sacrifices, inflicting 4000 points of damage simultaneously. It was immune to all card effects.

And there were two others of it's level of power. The three god cards...

And if simply holding even this one was giving her a rush...

"Hnhnhnhn... Hehehehe... HAHAHAHA!" Well...

She'd better get moving.

* * *

Dreams are strange things.

For most they are made up of scattered memories, ripped into very shreds and pieced together in an eclectic, clumped reel of mental film. A series of events and thoughts played over and over, with no known purpose. It was a personal question from Yugi to his other as to whether or not his darker half could dream for this reason in fact. As someone without memories, was it possible for him to dream?

The darker half chose not to admit that for the first few days, he didn't. That for the first few months, his only 'consciousness' was tied completely to the few moments he'd taken over from inside the puzzle.

Instead, he answered 'yes', and went back to his usual spiritual vigil outside of the puzzle as his partner slept. A vigil that continued day in and day out, and would likely continue as so for a number of days to come.

For some people however dreams are hidden terrors, and hidden thoughts from another time and another place. Messages from the past, digging into the skulls of the dreamer whether they wish for it or not. Sometimes...

They were stranger than expected. And despite how very real they could seem, the content itself was the more confusing aspect.

And the voice that sounded like Seto's own disguised one rang through her head in a foreign language that she somehow knew and understood, was one such aspect... And by the time morning came, she was busy pounding her fist into the pillow in annoyance, likely leaving a permanent dent in the cloth in question.

Because if there was one thing she knew that made that 'tablet' 'fake', it was this.

The 'high priest' was male.

She was not.

End of story. This. Was. Not.

Real.

The voice in her mind mirrored her own disguised one, to a 't'...but it was not her, despite what 'Ishizu' dared to imply. The vision that came with it, the face, the piercing blue eyes matched her own photos completely save for deeply tanned skin...

But it was not her.

And the 'pharaoh', the 'King' that stood to the side, weakly holding a puzzle forward to the Priest in his _dying moments_ was not Yugi damn it! Her dreams however wished to tell her otherwise, and in her personal opinion this was all that damn 'Ishizu' woman's fault. She wasn't sure how, since the woman had all but dropped off the map (and she sure as hell wasn't calling her), but somehow she was sure she wasn't wrong.

And yet here she was.

For the fourth night in a row that month, on what was oddly enough the exact same day and the exact same time.

Floating above an ancient Egyptian hallway or what she assumed as a hallway, hoping and praying that they even _had_ hallways. Not her idea of a 'good night's sleep', particularly since she was fairly certain that dreams were supposed to be forgotten when someone woke up.

"If someone is trying to tell me something," the woman muttered, crossing her arms with a growl, "They had better realize very soon that it isn't working."

And of course, as usual, there was...

No answer.

Leaving her floating in the air and rolling her eyes. Ugggh...

The woman crossed her legs, somehow taking a comfortable position as she watched the 'impostors' of herself and her rival run through the hall in the dark. Hn... Run faster, maybe they'd actually get somewhere. It wasn't like the end result made any sense after all.

_'Quickly Pharaoh,'_ the 'Priest' shouted, turning to the 'king' as they charged through the largely black grey hall. ' _We must flee! Khemet is lost... And if we are to reclaim it, then survival is key!_ ' Assuming 'Khemet' was the kingdom...

That was probably a good idea. The Pharaoh however, either lacking strength of self-preservation, merely collapsed in the doorway at the end of the hall, moonlight splashing across his tanned face as he took ragged breaths. _'Wait... Wait a moment,'_ he rasped, holding out his hand. _'I..._ '

_'We cannot wait,_ ' the Priest protested, shaking his head. ' _There is no time, if-_ '

Sounds of thundering footsteps came from down the hall, Seto turning her head and narrowing her eyes as what looked to be a crowd of monsters began to develop from the darkness. Oh great.

As if the dream didn't make enough sense as it was. After three nights of 'repetition' did they really have to change things now?

_'...Set,_ ' the Pharaoh muttered, the Priest turning back to face the teen as he did so. ' _There is something I must do...'_

The Priest merely bit his lip, turning back to the developing monsters before stepping around him. ' _In due time my King- But first..._ ' He held out his hands towards the monsters, taking a deep breath and muttering as the room continued to quake under the approaching stampede. _'Great God of the Desert and Storms, Keeper of the Darkness..._ ' Alright what? ' _Guide my hands and grant me power... I call forth a monster from the shadows, the Guardian of the Lamp! ARISE,_ ' the Priest roared, gritting his teeth. ' _LA JINN!'_ Hnnn? Seto raised her eyebrows, adjusting her 'seat' as the 'genie of the lamp' appeared to charge forward. From nothing but thin air it had appeared...

From a stream of 'light', originating from who knew where. Huh...

One of her old monsters... Strange, last time she had this dream she didn't hear all that nonsense...

...Damn it, that wasn't a good thing! Seeing the things that were attacking and hearing the 'chanting' were not good!

Seto continued to watch as the genie barrelled forward, destroying the monsters as its summoner again grabbed the Pharaoh's hand and rushed forward. "Gh-" Seto grabbed her head as a sudden wash of vertigo struck, the room spinning violently.

Oh great, motion sickness... The woman shook herself as she was abruptly 'dragged' through the wall, a clear night sky meeting her vision in addition to a cluster of ruins. Now where was this hell hole...

Here she'd assumed they were in a palace of sorts not- The woman turned, staring as in the distance a series of fires could be seen. Ah. That would explain it. So the palace was that way...

Making this some sort of... ...Ruin? Village? Great...

Another obscure vision cleared up to raise more questions. Last time all she'd seen was darkness here, and she was beginning to miss that.

_'Pharaoh... My pharaoh,_ ' the Priest was whispering as they trekked through the sand, ' _Are you-_ '

_'Please,_ ' The pharaoh muttered, collapsing somewhat under his own weight before falling to his knees on the ground. ' _I am no longer in any position to be called 'king'...'_

The priest paled, freezing in place and rushing back to join the king on the ground. ' _But I- ...We..._ '

The pharaoh looked forward, weakly shaking his head as he continued to breath labouredly. _'...Set,'_ he whispered, shaking somewhat in his exhaustion. ' _Let me sit for a moment... There is something I must do with this...'_

The king held up the 'puzzle' around his neck, the Priest before him paling as a muted words passed his lips. Hang on, what was that? The pair's lips continued to move, the air filled with the sort of dead silence one expected from a muted T.V. Great. The one time she wanted to know what the hell they were saying...

Seto rubbed her head, scowling. Ugh... _'You can't,_ ' the Priest was suddenly muttering, shaking his head as Seto abruptly looked up with wide eyes. ' _You- ...You'll...'_

' _Mahaad is gone,_ ' the Pharaoh cut in, head bowed as the Priest before him gained a mourning expression. ' _As is Isis, Karim, Shada, Shiamun...'_ A fair number of names... Each of which apparently meant something to the two before her. ' _And the darkness is spreading,_ ' the Pharaoh continued, shaking his head and looking back up as Seto narrowed her eyes. ' _This is the only way..._ '

_'My Pharaoh, I-_ ' Ahhhhh, who cut him off?

More silence. Seto grit her teeth, holding back a growl. Ugh...

The puzzle was held out to the priest's hands, the two of them slowly holding it together as their mouths continued to move in silence. Damn it, what the hell were they saying?

_'...Set.'_ Ah, there... That was better. _'It has been an honor working with you._ '

_'An honor..?'_ The priest appeared frozen with shock, more so than before if it was possible. ' _...Pharaoh... I..._ ' Oh come on, Seto thought somewhat bitterly, spit it ou-

...Their mouths didn't stop moving. Damn it, her dream muted itself again.

She crossed her arms, frowning as some sort of exchange came between the two before her. Ugh, it was worse than a bad connection during a phone conference... At least then you could ask them to repeat what they said. More silence, more talking...

Seto watched as the 'Priest' pulled off his head dress, placing it on the ground as brown hair fell to his shoulders. Again, she heard nothing. Though she hadn't expected the 'High Priest' to have hair...

Clearly whatever he was saying shocked the 'Pharaoh' though, given the look on his face.

Even so. She'd like to actually hear something no- _'...I see,'_ the Pharaoh finally said clearly, the 'invisible' observer merely rolling her eyes. Yes... Of course he did. Now could someone explain to her what the hell was going on? A sudden 'wave' appeared over the area, the woman sighing as her vision was filled with darkness. Ahhh yes... And as usual, this was the end of the...

...Dream? She frowned, watching as the wave passed to reveal the same two she'd been watching, the Priest's head bowed into the Pharaoh's shoulder in what could have been mourning. This was...

Almost the exact same scene as before, but why was she still here...

Seto frowned, 'floating' close and looking at the two with narrowed eyes. The puzzle was still gripped in their hands... Something appeared to sit heavily on the air around them, a feeling of sorts that the woman couldn't describe... And given the growl in the distance more monsters were appearing, now wasn't that-

Seto frowned as the Priest stood, slowly turning to face the monsters with rage filled eyes. More silence... This time however, the silence was legitimate. No one was speaking...

At least until the last few moments, when a rough and violent wind appeared to blow about the Priest in a tornado of sand. A fearsome roar filled the air...

And the area became bathed with light, the Pharaoh behind the man shielding his eyes before staring with shock. ' _WHITE DRAGON,_ ' a voice shouted, Seto growing pale as the sound met her ears, accompanied by a roar. ' _ATTACK!'_

The last thing she saw before waking up with wide eyes and a cold sweat was an enormous and eerily realistic Blue-Eyes White Dragon appearing from the clouds to blast white flames over the approaching swarm. A magnificent beast who easily overpowered the monsters before it. But it was what she heard that had her laying back down on the bed with still wide eyes as she stared at the ceiling, breathing haggard and labouring, as though she had run a 1500 kilometer marathon within seconds. The voice...

The one that the Priest used in those few seconds...

That was _her_ voice.

* * *

Dreams, however strange they could be, were always made up of memories in some way. Memories from recent times, memories from a past long forgotten...

Even memories from another life entirely, however bizarre the notion was. But while there were strange levels of dreams in those categories, dreams that could hardly be considered the 'average' evening, even dreams such as those were something that could be considered normal... At least compared to the third 'dreamer' that one night after the visit to the museum, when so many 'dreams' occurred.

Katsuya had collapsed on his bed with a groan almost immediately after he managed to get out of the suit he'd been stuck in, ready and more than willing for the 'calm' that was sleep. He was tired after all. Exhausted, and more than 'confused' about certain women in his life. And well, thanks to that nice little 'flash' he'd had of the hands and 'eyes' staring toward him, possibly a little scared. Not that he would say otherwise of course, despite there normally being 'no secrets among friends'. The fact was there were somethings that were just too weird to share. Between the fire at the Black Clown, the 'eyes' reaching out from the Egyptian woman's necklace, and a particularly awkward call he'd gotten from his mother and sister... Well.

Besides predicting the moment he'd get the call, it took all he could to not finish his sister's sentence when he picked it out from the last dream he'd gotten. Which was scary to say the least, and made it incredibly difficult to even focus slightly on the rest of the conversation. Needless to say he was looking forward to a nice, quiet, peaceful night. One where he actually slept, or maybe one where he dreamed a normal dream, maybe something involving a roller coaster, or a festival... Not an endless sea of darkness.

Not like this one.

"Awww hell," the blond muttered, blearily opening his eyes and sitting up as he entered the 'dream'. He certainly recognized this place. "Great... One minute I'm in my bed... Th' next I'm stuck here..." He sighed, shaking himself as he pulled himself to a standing position and looked around. Empty space, empty space... What, seriously, nothing? He crossed his arms, rolling his eyes before scowling as he came to a stop after walking aimlessly through the darkness. "Aw C'MON!" he shouted loudly, throwing his hands in the air with a growl. "I finally get used t' this crap an I get nothin'!" Agggghhh seriously? Seriously! "What th' hell kinda dream is this!"

" _ **Well now...**_ " E-Ehhh? Who..? " _ **This is interesting...**_ "

Katsuya froze as a voice came from behind him, coughing awkwardly. "Er... I..." He shook his head, blood draining from his face. "I wasn' serious," he muttered, "I..."

A rumbling chuckle came from the same direction, the blond slowly turning to face the source only to find more darkness. No... No one was there. What the hell? " _ **Hello little one,**_ " the voice stated, Katsuya swallowing as he looked up toward the source.

Aaaa _hhhAaaahhhAhhhh..._ Hell. "Oooooooh god," he muttered, falling back and scooting as far away from the creature before him as possible. It was difficult to describe what the being looked like completely, if it could be described at all. For one, the eye that was staring him down was likely about as bright as the sun, possibly as large- and almost eerily similar in appearance over all. Why he wasn't blind at the moment was likely attributed to the fact that he was in a dream, but that was beside the point as even counting the 'sun' eye, the 'sky' body was yet stranger. Amid the darkness a hair-thin neck trailed from the being's 'head', glittering with a fine white powder that resembled stars and fragments of galaxies. It was hard to locate. The body never got 'wider', but if he squinted it was there, clear enough that opening his eyes wider after locating it made the creature's entire form stand out as clearly as a neon sign. The body, despite being hair-thin, did not appear to narrow until it reached the ends of its strings. It merely divided, creating a pair of bird-like feet at the end of endlessly long legs, the being who was attached to them standing so tall that it hurt Katsuya's neck to look up from where he lay on his back. The arms on the other hand...

He couldn't see them. Until now, when the location of the shoulders slowly began to 'fade' into appearance. The creature knelt down, eye's gaze appearing more kindly than menacing as a pair of thin and almost flat hands materialized on impossibly long arms. More eyes. Katsuya swallowed as a pair of eyes stared out from the hands' palms, before the creature pulled the hands back and allowed them to fade out into the darkness. " _ **Such fear you have**_ ," the creature muttered, hands reappearing at its sides with closed eyes. " _ **You need not fear me child,**_ " the being stated, closing its eye over as a 'moon' appeared in the place of its iris while the eye-lid closed. The eye slowly opened again, Katsuya merely staring with wide eyes at the 'shift' in 'night' and 'day' before him. " _ **I will not harm you... Be still... If you like,**_ " it continued, holding a hand out, " _ **I can prove myself to you...**_ "

"H-Hah..." Honestly, he'd rather avoid things with eyes on it..! "I... I'll take yer word f'r it," he stuttered, slowly pulling himself to his feet as he attempted to calm himself down. Ok. Ok. Giant 'space-eye' thing standing in front of him... Ahhh... "Who... Who are yah?" he managed to ask, staring upward as he appeared to 'float' in the darkness. "Er..." The blond coughed, correcting himself. " _What_ are yah?" he added, the being slowly blinking once again.

More chuckling came through the air, the being shaking its 'head' as it looked down. " _ **Hnhnhnhnhn... An interesting question,**_ " it commented, the eye appearing to 'smile' down at him. " _ **To some I appear as a lost friend... To others,**_ " the creature continued with a disturbingly calm voice, " _ **A hero that they will never know... And to still others, a messenger from the gods...**_ " ...Kay. Why couldn't he get one of those? " _ **To you however,**_ " it continued with a 'bow' of sorts, the 'moon' again meeting Katsuya's face as he swallowed, " _ **I appear as I always am... I am that which divines the past, present, and future... I am the Millennium Tauk, the diviner. And for that whom wields me,**_ " it continued, the blond's eyes widening as it spoke, " _ **The guide...**_ " ...Awww HELL, not another one of these things! " _ **It is strange,**_ " the Tauk muttered, Katsuya momentarily cutting his mental panic short as the being 'frowned' somewhat, " _ **Appearing to a mortal in this form...**_ " Strange?

The blond frowned, tilting his head. What... "S...Strange?" he repeated, looking up as the 'Tauk' nodded. "Whaddya mean, 'strange'..?" How could that possibly be...

The Tauk merely stood at its full height, 'sun' eye appearing against the dark surroundings in an eerie, apocalyptic glow from kilometres above. " _ **As I told you seconds before,**_ " it began calmly, " _ **I have**_ _ **been many things... Angels, Animals, Spirits... For to appear in the form you see now would be catastrophic to the beings that I visit... A form that the mind is comfortable with, is therefore required. However,**_ " the Tauk continued, Katsuya growing pale with the mentions of 'catastrophic', " _ **For some reason, it would appear that despite all of your mortality, your mind is so comfortable with that of the other realms... That what would be unfathomable is perfectly within your comprehension...**_ " Uh...

W-What? "W-What th' hell do y' mean, 'would be unfathomable'?!" he shouted, swallowing back a choke as he stared up with wide eyes. "You sayin' I've got some kind 'f 'low tolerance' f'r weird crap!"

" _ **Hnhnhnhnhn!**_ " Oh great, it was laughing at him. It had something close to that Egyptian woman's voice, and it was laughing at him, that was always great... " _ **Not at all,**_ " it 'shouted' with a laugh, shaking its head. " _ **Not at all..! To be frank, you have possibly the highest tolerance of any mortal that my 'guardian' has ever even passed along the sidewalk...**_ " The blond blinked a few times, pulling a face and staring. Er... Ooooookayyyyyy. That was... Good. He guessed. " _ **I am not completely sure why this is,**_ " the Tauk continued, shaking it's head' and closing its eye again as it 'calmed' down. " _ **Nor do I think anything will explain it... But for now, I believe it would be best to accept things as they are... I will only be here this one time after all,**_ " the being said, opening its eye once more as its hands re-appeared beside it. " _ **For once I have discerned your fate,**_ " it explained, the hands moving close, " _ **My task will be done... And I will return from whence I came...**_ " W-W-Wait...

He tensed, stepping back as the hands continued to move in. "...My... My fate..?"

The being nodded, coming to its knees and bringing its hands around the blond as he paled. " _ **It will take only a moment,**_ " the Tauk stated calmly, Katsuya looking at the two eyes with fear as the hands hovered around him. " _ **You will feel nothing, so this will only...**_ " The Tauk abruptly froze, hands jerking away slightly as its 'eye' opened and stared down. " _ **...Ah...**_ " Er...

"...'Ah'?" Katsuya asked, frowning as the Tauk stared at him. "What... What'dya mean... 'Ah'?"

" _ **It's strange,**_ " the being muttered, closing its eye somewhat. " _ **This is now two things that have never occurred before... I am a diviner, a seer,**_ " the Tauk stated calmly, standing before the blond as it spoke. " _ **A being sent into the minds of others fore only mere moments, that the past and future of the mind be known to my guardian... It is the reason why I am here,**_ " it continued, staring down at Katsuya as it continued to speak with its oddly calm tone. The only reason? " _ **And yet for some reason,**_ " it continued with a frown, pulling back to its full height once again. " _ **I can't discern your future... or your past...**_ " Alright, that was o- ...

Wait... "...What."

The Tauk continued to stare, 'expression' as unchanging as it always was while it looked down. " _ **It is strange... And worrying, if I might even say it... But for some reason,**_ " it continued sadly, voice wavering just slightly, " _ **Fate itself will not place it's hands on you... It leaves your past unknown,**_ " it stated, left hand appearing from the darkness at the Tauk's side, " _ **And your future un-tied,**_ " it continued, right hand appearing as well. " _ **You have no fate,**_ " the Tauk continued, Katsuya merely staring in shock. " _ **And for that,**_ " it continued, staring down sadly as the 'moon' and 'sun' on its form created a partial eclipse, " _ **I fear for you...**_ "

"But why?" Katsuya asked, shaking his head as he stared upward at the creature, "Why would that be a problem..?" If anything... He was kinda happy that the eye thing wouldn't know what was going to happen to him.

There was a long 'breezing' noise, the being appearing to 'sigh'. " _ **I do not know why... But for some reason, I feel a kinship within you. Though I know for a fact that you nor anyone like yourself has ever been my guardian, I recognize your spirit from a distant time... A time that I can no longer recall,**_ " it added, the blond before it frowning in confusion and suspicion both. " _ **My time within your mind is ending young one,**_ " the Tauk said sadly, shaking its head as it stared down. " _ **And without the knowledge of your fate, I can not properly warn you of the things to come...**_ " ...Oh. That was why. The Tauk continued to 'sigh', staring down as it continued on. " _ **For that reason, I leave you with these words, with the hope that you heed by them before the worst comes upon you. For while the fate-less remain uncharted in the fabrics of time,**_ " it explained, voice reverberating around the darkness they stood in, " _ **They attract just as much, if not more attention from the negative forces of the other realms... Heed my words child,**_ " the being continued, slowly fading out from the toes as it began to vanish from existence. " _ **And heed them well, for your own safety... While most of my brethren lay dormant, there is one among my numbers who remains strong. Beware the flames with eyes that devour,**_ " it called, continuing to fade as it shut its eye and vanished completely. " _ **For even the smallest of sparks can create disaster...**_ "

As the words faded from the room, so too did the 'moon' that was looking down at Katsuya from above. Along with the 'stars', the 'galaxies', the 'light' that it gave off... And with the stars and the 'sun' gone, the blond was left in complete darkness again.

Before a raging _fire_ filled his vision, with his next sights being the ceiling of his room as he woke up with a shout.

"HUAH!" The blond clutched the sides of the bed, breathing heavily as he stared at the wall and sat stock still, as the sound of the clock ticking at the side met his ears. Cold sweat clung to his skin as he breathed heavily, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, nothing but the roar of flames sitting in the back of his mind. "HAH... Hah... Hah... ...hah... hah..."

If anyone 'up there' was listening, please... What the hell did all this mean? Staring at the wall before him, the blond slowly lay back against the pillow, swallowing back another ragged breath and bringing his hand to the dog-tags around his neck. Cold metal was gripped tightly in his hand, acting almost as an anchor to reality as Katsuya continued to breath hoarsely. What was all this... These dreams...

Rolling over on the bed, the blond attempted to fall back to sleep as best he could, still breathing shallowly as he shut his eyes and clutched the tags around his neck. They were just dreams, he told himself, thoughts laden completely with denial. Just dreams...

Just dreams...

_Just dreams..._


	3. White Rain

After the events of 'the dream' Katsuya had more or less fallen into an awkward 'base' reaction pattern. This tended to happen whenever he got paranoid about something in the first place, so it was probably to be expected.

Particularly after getting another dream where he managed to yet again force himself to bite his tongue before he finished someone's sentence for them. Personally, if this sort of thing happened concerning homework, he'd be much happier. Either way he was fairly on edge, and noticeably so given his now usual actions consisting of either acting too happy or simply staring off out the window more often than normal.

Though for the most part this was attributed to Mokuba's news of the 'bodyguard night', which had gotten a fair number of questions from everyone when it came up. It did them no good however; Mokuba got less out of Katsuya than he got from his sister on the event, so the others learned little more than he had.

...Though Bakura had an oddly happy look when it came to the Egypt display...

What Mokuba _did_ manage to do was probably the only reason why, only a week after the 'Tauk's visit, Katsuya was back to 'normal'. As to what the reason was...

Yugi didn't know at all, having been left to get all of his information from everyone visiting. He suspected he was going to find out fairly soon however, given that he was standing outside the gate to the Kaiba mansion on the 29th of April, the first day of the Golden Week. The day he was supposed to get discharged...

Exactly as planned a week prior. All Yugi knew was that Mokuba and Katsuya wanted him at the house that day, and were planning to pick him up. After getting discharged early however, he'd called and said he would meet them at the gate- and he was quite surprised when the gate opened before he even pushed the intercom button.

The shock was quickly pushed aside with the obvious fact that he was in plain sight at the gate, and he was probably spotted...and then the shock came flying _back_ when a car came over, briefly stopping as someone hurriedly grabbed him and tossed him into the car.

The sound of a door closing over met the boy's ears, along with muttered curses of surprise from his other. "W-Wh-What..?" Yugi shook himself as the car hurriedly drove off, looking up to be meet with a pair of grins on Mokuba and Katsuya's faces. "What's going on!" Mokuba was the first to answer, grinning from his seat by the window as his friend pulled himself into a seat. "Hehehe... We're going flower viewing Yugi!"

"HA _AAAANAMIIIIIII!_ ~"

"Sorry we didn't say anything," the boy added with a shrug, Yugi merely blinking at the overly eager shout that Katsuya let out. "But if we were going to get there without nee-sama knowing..."

Yugi stared, buckling his seat belt before shaking his head at the last few words. "Er..." The boy blinked, frowning as he looked around Katsuya at the younger of his friends. "What..."

"Unfortunately," a voice said from the front, Kyouko looking around the seat, as the boy turned from the others, "These two didn't make the best impression when asking Seto-sama if she was willing to come along..." Oi, neither did anyone else... "...So we had to put something else together to pull it off." And it would definitely work.

Probably.

_Maybe._

Yugi blinked a few times, staring before he turned back to the others. "W... Who is..."

Oh, right-! Yugi didn't know any of the staff... The woman smiled, shaking her head before bowing somewhat as she as well realized the problem. "Kyouko," she said with a smile, giving a mock salute as she looked the boy over with a wink. "I'm one of the maids."

"A-Ahhh... I see" The boy continued to stare however, apparently not believing his own words before finally turning to the others. "So... We're going flower viewing?" he asked, blinking a few times. The other two nodded, their friend frowning in response. "Why so late in the year though..?"

Katsuya shrugged, shaking his head and leaning back on his seat. "Well," he began fairly plainly, "Like Kyouko said... We were gonna go earlier, but things happened..." Things like Seto turning it down really fast... And the Black Clown fire.

"And besides," Mokuba added, changing the subject somewhat as he looked to his friend, "We wanted you to come too. Nee-sama might not like it," the boy continued, crossing his arms with a smirk, "But it isn't like there's no room in the field to avoid each other right? Apparently the flowers bloomed late anyway, so it should be fine."

Yugi nodded, still blinking a few times. If he was confused, he didn't blame him... Though for his part, the boy was hiding it fairly well if he was. "I guess not," he eventually admitted, agreeing with Mokuba. "...But how is Kaiba-san coming if she doesn't even want to go?"

The other two boys shared a glance, before giving Yugi an odd smile as the car fell strangely silent. "Oh... Well... We found a way..."

The windows of all of the vehicles that the Kaiba family owned were more often than not tinted completely on the sides. This was standard, as for that reason no one could really see what was happening inside the car. Privacy was important, if not one of the more important aspects of the drive to and from work.

Needless to say Seto was perfectly content with what was simply 'standard procedure' for that reason. Though... Sharing the car with a pair of the security guards was a little less than 'standard'. It wasn't anything that would really spring alarm bells or annoyances though. The fact was, they had more than reasonable points in why they were coming-

Namely that since they had been required to take double shifts at both the mansion and the company building, they didn't have a ride. They had called for someone else, but they were stopped by traffic. And so they were there...

In the end she supposed, it was hardly that much of an inconvenience when the fact was that the chauffeur involved wasn't technically supposed to be driving her around on a Sunday. He was simply...available for once, noting that Fuguta and he had agreed to switch on that particular duty (given one of the many, many roles of her assistants), and Isono was already at work.

So she now had two guards on either side of her.

...Well, at least everyone was doing their job. Regardless of jobs being switched around for the day, she still expected to get to the destination she asked to travel to.

So when the car turned in the exact opposite direction and made for the highway rather than driving toward the Kaiba Corp building, and neither of the guards beside her reacted, there was really only one logical thing to do.

Or at least there was, as she had decided while narrowing her eyes and looking at one of the guards while planning an escape, until simply looking at the side to the guards she assumed were completely trustworthy resulted in her being tackled to the side. "GH!" The woman snarled, arms quickly held behind her back as she pulled against the grip they were held in. "YOU-!"

"Hahhh... Seto-sama," Odoru said with a slight grunt and sigh, adjusting his grip on the woman's arms while avoiding her head. "I've worked for you for how long? I think by now," he continued somewhat gruffly, his boss barely pinned to the seat in the car by the combined efforts of the two guards, "I know the 'look' that you get when you realize something's up."

"Nnnggh..." Bastards, bastards, _bastards!_ These two... She'd trusted these two! "You're both _fired,_ " the woman growled, blowing a bit of hair from her face as she attempted to kick her way out of 'Taijin', the second guard's grip. "Not to mention dead, if you're lucky!"

Odoru sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah... We kinda figured you would say that," he muttered, shrugging as best he could while holding his grip.

"Good job realizing it this quick though," Taijin muttered, the guard's sunglasses falling to the ground as their 'hostage' attempted to worm her way out of the grip. One holding her arms the other her legs... Oh great, wasn't this just lovely... "I owe Odoru here 2000 yen for that..."

"Gh-" The woman tensed, looking at the man behind her incredulously. "You morons were betting on this?" Of all the nerve... An apparent abduction was bad enough but now they were taking bets on how long it took!

The two men merely shrugged, Seto growling as she narrowed her eyes. Alright. Since she was obviously in a nice tight spot here... Her expression shifted, still clearly dark as she attempted to figure out a way out. If she moved her hands right, she should be able to disa-

The woman froze as her hands brushed over the gun holster behind her, only to find it empty. "...You aren't armed?"

Two more shrugs, Odoru smirking as his boss continued to growl. "What," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. "You thought we'd give you that kind of advantage? Disarming us is the first thing you would try in this situation, we know that!"

"We learned from the best," his partner chorused, their boss gritting her teeth further. These... Damn... Morons...

Damn it if she wasn't already ticked... "You're both _more_ than fired," she spat, pulling fruitlessly against the guard's hold as they sighed. "Consider your pink slips a death certificate!" she continued with a roar, Taijin narrowly avoiding a kick from the woman. "And you as well," she added, turning to the front. Given that the chauffeur was obviously participating...

"Really?" a familiar voice asked, turning from the front. The woman grew pale as her first assistant turned around, the man's eyebrows raised in slight humor.

"I-Isono!" But-

But he was at KaibaC...

…. _FUGUTA-_

There was a short span of silence, the woman slowly turning a narrowed glare up at the guards as the men coughed. This. Was not a 'normal' kidnapping...

Her eyes narrowed further, suspicion raising as she looked over them. "...It was Mokuba!" Taijin abruptly shouted, ducking his head as the glare was turned on him with. "He put us up to it!"

The woman continued to glare, eyes narrowing as Odoru cursed behind her. Mokuba? Set all this up? While obviously not out of the range of his capabilities, just why would he do this? Someone else...

Seto continued to glare at the guard before her, clenching her jaw as the man before him attempted to keep his mouth shut. But in the end... "...Alright," Taijin sighed, bowing his head. Hn! She always won these sorts of things... "Jonouchi helped..."

"I am going to kill that dog," Seto growled, narrowing her eyes as Odoru frowned behind her.

"Er... It was still Mokuba-sama's idea," he said with a cough, before jumping back as the woman in his grip continued to seethe.

"The blond is DEAD!"

The man sighed, shaking his head. "Aaaaaahhh..."

"You know," Isono said from the front, coughing as the others turned their heads, "You can probably let her go now..." Yes, that would be very much preferable! The guards blinked, slowly looking back at their 'boss'.

"Ahh... So," Odoru asked with a small grin, loosening his grip somewhat. "...We still fired?" he continued, gaining a largely unimpressed scowl in response to the question. The answer to that one?

Well seeing how they'd apparently been put up to it by her brother and were likely doing this to avoid getting their asses kicked before she took over the car... "You will be if you hold on any longer," she muttered dangerously, glaring back at Odoru as the man against coughed. The two guards hurriedly relinquished their hold on her arms and legs, returning to their seats as Seto righted herself and leaned back on the seat. "Good... Now," she said with a growl, crossing her arms and looking toward the front. "Just what is it that my brother planned with that mutt?"

The guards both blinked, mouths hanging open somewhat as they turned to the front for the answer. "That," Isono began, turning back to the highway after looking to the others for a moment. "Is a bit of a surprise..." Ohhhhh great.

That was always fun.

Seto continued to scowl, gritting her teeth. "A 'surprise'?" she asked incredulously, crossing her legs as well. "I'm heading to an unknown location on the first day of the Golden Week... And you tell me it's a surprise?" Give her answers...

NOW...

Odoru and Taijin both coughed awkwardly as the woman continued to growl, the men turning away before abruptly reaching out as their 'boss' pulled out her cellphone. "AAH," the shouted, their boss growling as she held her phone out of reach. "Wait wait wait-!"

"I'm calling my brother," she snarled, eyes wide with annoyance as she attempted to make a call.

"NO! No!" they protested loudly, "He'll... ...Ahhhhh..."

The two drew back as they were met with a glare, holding their breaths as Seto pushed the first number on her speed dial. Now then...

"..."

"..."

Dial tone. Seto closed the phone over, glaring at the device rather angrily as she clenched her jaw. "He turned off his PHONE!"

"Er..." Taijin coughed, shrugging fairly nervously as he laughed. "...We'll be there in around an hour?"

The phone was merely returned to the woman's pocket, Seto glaring through the front window in silence for a few moments. An hour...

Tch. "We'll be where, in 'about an hour'?" she asked, turning to Taijin with a fairly murderous look.

The man swallowed, coughing as he pulled back. "Ahhhhhh..." It was likely a common thought among all the men in that car that 'about an hour' was really far too long to pull this off.

Really.

* * *

"Ha _HAAAAH_!"

Tinted windows were not very useful when the windows were rolled down, but in the car ahead of Seto's, no one really seemed to particularly care about that. "YEAH," Katsuya shouted, grinning as a few sakura petals were caught in the window. "We're here!"

While 'sixty minutes later' was likely not coming soon enough for those in the second car, those in the first car found it coming _just_ soon enough. The moment they stopped the doors were opened, the boys in the back seat grinning as they made to leave. Katsuya laughed as he hopped out of the car, running out into the somewhat large field of sakura trees.

"Alright! An' we've got this place all to ourselves?" the blond asked, turning as the others left the car. Mokuba nodded, grinning as Yugi looked around behind him. "Yep! We didn't take too much space," he explained, gesturing to the fence around the area, "And since it's so late in the year, it wasn't actually that hard... The 'forecast' for the blossoms ended up really off this year," the boy continued with a shrug, scratching his head, "So most people have already stopped by, even if it was just to see nothing..."

Which meant that 'renting' a space in a field of trees was actually possible. Yesssss...

The others nodded with the explanation, Yugi turning as the second car pulled up behind them. "Ah...Do you think this is alright?" he asked, watching as the car went to park before turning back to the others. "Me being here I mean?" Ahhh...

Ohhhh. They didn't really think of that, since they figured the answer wouldn't be that great...

Ehhh. "I don't think Kaiba-san would really want-"

"What is _he_ doing here?" Ohhp. Katsuya coughed as the voice came over the air, shaking himself as he mentally smacked his head.

Too late.

The boys turned as Seto looked over the car door, eyes narrowed as the two guards she'd come with stood awkwardly behind her. The woman wasnot pleased with being 'kidnapped' into this and as she moved from around the car door, the loud 'slam' it gave off when closing made that all too clear.

Mokuba and Katsuya both went pale, the former hurriedly coughing and running over to explain where the others likely couldn't. "A-Aaaaaahhh... Well, see... Katsuya-nii was telling me about Hanami," he explained somewhat nervously, "And Kyouko mentioned this place, and I thought that maybe Yugi would want to come and-" Er...

Why was he talking so fast? The two older boys watched with mild confusion as Mokuba's sister looked down, expression currently about as annoyed as it was when Seto was merely standing in Yugi's presence. The look itself was enough to cut the boy off.

Though in Mokuba's defense, the boy was still looking with guiltless expression that said 'By the way, I'm not budging on this.'

"Alright," she muttered somewhat testily, frowning somewhat, "I won't blame Jonouchi..."

The boy immediately grinned, pumping his fist as he turned to the others. "YEEEESSSSS!"

"W-Wait," Katsuya said with a frown, shaking his head. "That's what this was about?!" He thought that she was asking about Yugi!

...Though at least there was no comment on that. Yugi laughed somewhat nervously, scratching his head as the two siblings came over. For the moment, it looked as though he was avoiding the sour fate of being the 'negative' topic. In fact the woman appeared to be purposefully avoiding eye contact with Yugi, instead turning to look at the field beside them.

"I do want to know why I'm being dragged off to a field of sakura trees though," Seto said somewhat darkly, briefcase gripped tightly in one hand as she turned back to Mokuba and Katsuya. "Seeing how I told you I wasn't interested in 'hanami' a fair number of times..."

All very politely when it came to Mokuba of course. He himself had only asked once... For good reasons.

The woman's brother merely coughed at that statement, before shrugging it off nervously. "Eh... Yeah but... Well, it's Sunday," he protested, frowning as he looked up at his sister, "And it's the Golden Week... You've been working on the stuff in that briefcase for almost the entire month," the boy continued, gesturing to the case in question, "And you won't even tell me what's in it..."

"Wait," Katsuya said with a slight jump, turning to the boy. "Y' mean you don' know either?" And here he'd thought that the kid was just pulling his leg...

Mokuba sighed, shaking his head as the others beside them merely stared. "This isn't the time Katsuya-nii..."

"..." Alright, that look was telling him the same thing...

The boy sighed, turning back to his sister and continuing on. "Look... You can... You can work on whatever it is in there," he said, smiling somewhat nervously as he again gestured to the briefcase. "I mean... Whatever it is is obviously important," Mokuba continued, frowning. "I just think you should relax too, alright nee-sama?"

Seto merely continued to look at her brother somewhat blankly, before a voice from the side pulled their thoughts forward again. "That's the main reason why all of us bothered doing this," Kyouko said from the car, stepping out with a bag and slamming the door shut.

The others turned toward Seto again, remaining largely silent as they waited for the response before the taller of the group finally sighed in 'defeat'. Okay... Did... Did they win? "...Alright," Seto decided, facing her brother in another 'attempt' to ignore the others that were there. "I suppose a change in scenery is fine..." AH.

They did it! Yes! YES!

...Granted all they really did was tell her that her 'office' for the day was a bunch of cherry trees...

But it worked! "However," the woman added, cutting Katsuya's mental celebration short, "If you expect me to 'relax', I suggest you keep those two out of sight," she stated, walking off to find a place to sit by one of the trees after gesturing to the two beside her brother.

"O-Oi," Katsuya said with a frown, shaking his head. "What's that s'pposed t' mean..."

Yugi shrugged, looking up at the blond as his 'other' misted into appearance to study the trees with curiosity. "I have a feeling we'll be better off just not knowing really," he said with a laugh.

"Probably," Mokuba added with a grin, putting his hands behind his head as he looked at the two. "But we got her out of the building didn't we?" There was a round of nods, before Mokuba looked out at the numerous trees. Yep, they'd definitely managed that. "So," he continued, turning back to them with a slight frown. "What normally happens at Hanami anyways?" On Hanami?

The others blinked, sharing a short look before looking back. "Er..." Katsuya coughed, shaking his head. "Mostly... You look at the flower blossoms..."

There was another span of silence, both the Other Yugi and Mokuba blinking a few times before frowning. "...That's it?" the boy asked, expression shifting to evident confusion as the 'ghost' at the side as well appeared to mutter something along those lines. "But why do so many people..."

Kyouko shook her head, sighing as she came over with her large bag. "It's a relaxing event," she emphasized, frowning. "Looking at the blossoms reminds people how fragile life is, and how much they need to appreciate it... It's not supposed to be some 'giant party'! It's a quiet time, for picnics, relaxing..."

"An' yet..." Katsuya quickly received a dangerous look from the woman, ducking somewhat at the look. "H-Hey," he muttered nervously, scratching his head. "I'm jus' sayin'..." If they hadn't have 'rented out' this space, it would have been a lot more crowded and a lot louder...

Un... Like... Now...

Ehhhhhh... "...What do you think Kaiba-san is working on?" Yugi eventually said after an awkward silence fell over the group, turning to Mokuba in an attempt to change the subject. Both his other and Katsuya as well turned to the boy, sharing short glances. A good question.

Almost as good as the reason why they were there, now that the blond thought about it. Didn't...

Didn't they have Sakura trees in their backyard actually? Katsuya frowned, running the thoughts through his head before jumping as Mokuba barrelled past him through a pile of petals on the ground. "O-O-OI!" he shouted, watching as the boy grinned back at them, "What'r you-"

"Just because I'm supposed to just watch flowers doesn't mean I will! Come on Katsuya-nii!" he shouted, charging off past the trees with a laugh, "Catch me if you can!"

The blond tensed, before charging after. "Oooooiii!" It was on damn it! Like hell the eleven year old was out running him!

"Jonouchi-kun," Yugi shouted, "Wait up!"

_'I can't float that fast!_ '

"Gh- Other me, you're still a lot faster than I am!"

_'...Really?_ ' Given he could float, sit, talk and do whatever while moving...

Haha! Like they were going to spend Hanami looking at flowers!

* * *

...Though by the time it was lunch, it looked like the afternoon was going to be spent doing just that after all.

"Hah... hah... Hahh... Katsuya-nii," Mokuba said through somewhat laboured breaths, shaking his head as the group came to a stop. "Did you have to chase me up that tree..."

"What..." The blond shook himself, frowning. "I thought that was yer idea..."

What with how there were a few meters between them... And...

Mokuba was probably the only one who could safely get away with climbing the tree, not that he hadn't tried...

Yugi as well shook his head, watching the exchange with slight incredulity. "Ha-haaaaaaahhhh..." The three boys collapsed under one of the many blossoming trees in the area, having long since exhausted themselves running around the field. For the most part the morning had been spent alternating between this. Running, stopping for breath, running, stopping for breath...

Kinda figured it would eventually catch up to them. "Man," Katsuya said with a slight laugh, shaking his head before thumping it back against the tree trunk. "That was pretty insane..."

Yugi nodded, weakly grinning as he laughed. "Hahaha... Yeah," he said somewhat quietly, brushing a bit of hair from his face with bandaged hands. "I don't think I was supposed to be running around like that right after leaving the hospital, hahaha..." The others blinked, turning at that as Yugi merely continued to smile. "I'm fine!" he said loudly, waving his hands in emphasis. "Really, don't worry! I just don't think I'll be moving around much anymore today..."

"Heh! You ain't th' only one," Katsuya muttered, shaking his head and looking across the field. Lots of trees for such a small sp- "Oh hey," he muttered, pulling himself up as he looked off past the sakura petals that were falling. "'S Seto-chan..."

The boys blinked, following the blond's gaze and staring. "Ah..." They squinted, before looking somewhat incredulously at where the woman was currently typing away on her laptop. "She... She's smiling!" Mokuba shouted, shaking himself. Honestly it really said something when her own brother was commenting on that but...

Yugi shook his head, still staring at where the woman was working in silence. "...It doesn't look anything like when she smiled at school..." What, way back when she was trying to get Sugoroku's Blue-Eyes card?

The blond snorted, shaking his head. "That was because back then she was a bitch in sheep's cl-OW!" He rubbed his shoulder, turning as Mokuba crossed his arms with a scowl.

"That's my sister you're talking about, Katsuya-nii..."

"Owww..." He continued rubbing it, shaking his head. "But it's true... She ain't like that now, but back then..."

The other Yugi as well nodded, crossing his arms from where he was sitting among the three. ' _He has a point..._ '

"He also can't hear you," Yugi muttered under his breath, Mokuba turning with raised eyebrows.

"Eh?" he asked, blinking a few times. "What did you say?"

The boy smiled, shaking his head and laughing somewhat. "Ah... Nothing... Nothing," he said with a cough, his 'other' merely leaning back on the tree. "...What time is it?"

The others blinked, the younger pulling his sleeve back to look at a watch. "One thirty," Mokuba muttered, before rolling his sleeve back down. "We should probably eat now..." Good idea...

Given minor growls his stomach was now giving off. "We should probably get Seto-chan t' eat too," the blond added, scratching his head. "I don' think she's gettin up any time soon otherwise," he continued, looking back at where the woman was still calmly (And possibly happily, dare he say it) typing away. Wouldn't he bet that she had no idea they were watching...

Hahhh...

"I mean, if it's anythin' like when she's in 'er study..." Yugi blinked, turning as the three stood up and began slowly heading back to where they were parked.

"Her study?" he asked, frowning somewhat.

The others nodded, Mokuba pulling a face at the mention before answering. "Yeah... Half the time when Nee-sama comes back from work," he explained with a wince, "She'll go bury herself in her study because she's on a 'roll'..." The boy sighed, shaking his head as they continued walking past the trees. "I have to go in there to remind her it's supper time whenever that happens..."

"Hey," Katsuya grumbled somewhat darkly, "At least you ain't th' one stuck dealin' with tellin' her how _late_ it is..." The others turned with raised eyebrows, Katsuya merely shrugging in response as he clarified. "Hey," he said plainly, looking at Mokuba, "You can't tell me that when someone disappears int' the room and comes out runnin' that somethin' ain't goin' on in there!" Though at least he'd been spared the 'opportunity' that one other time, as when his own shift had finished and she was still in there, she'd managed to fall asleep. She'd likely been fairly uncomfortable the next morning but...

At least she got some sleep. And there was a saying about sleeping dogs that perfectly covered why he hadn't just told her to go to her bed and collapse there. If sleeping dogs were bad... Well.

Sleeping dragons would probably be worse.

The boys decided to keep silent on that topic and stop pressing about it, merely looking toward the parking lot where the guards, Isono, and Kyouko had all effectively taken up residence in for the day. Lets see, the guards had a deck of cards between them, Isono had a book...

"Ahaaaaah," Kyouko said with a smile, standing up from the bench at the side as the boys came over. "I was wondering when you would all get hungry," she said with a smirk, putting her phone to the side. The woman pulled up a large bag from the side, carefully pulling out a series of boxes and placing them on the table. The three shrugged, Mokuba running forward to grab some of the boxes as the others looked them over. All wrapped up in a square of cloth.

Kinda reminded him of when his mom made his lunches back in elementary actually. "Did you make all 'f these Kyouko?" Katsuya asked, watching as Mokuba piled a second one on top of his before handing another to Yugi. Kyouko shook her head, putting her own empty box back in the bag from where it had been sitting at the table. "Sort of... ...I had a little help," she said with a wink, gaze moving down to Mokuba as she said this.

The others turned, blinking at that a few times. He'd put them together? The boy flushed, face going somewhat red as he gripped the two boxes in his hands before handing a third one to Katsuya. "Gh- I wanted to make something for Seto-neesama for once!"

"Wait," Katsuya muttered, shaking his head as he grabbed his box, "So she really _is_ th' one making yer lunch..?"

Yugi turned, giving the blond a look that almost said 'you didn't know?' before looking back at Mokuba. "Er... If it's just lunch," he said fairly plainly, frowning a little, "Then why are you so flustered..."

At this Kyouko immediately beamed, the boy in front of her currently going even more red as the woman explained. "Aaaah- that would be because we went a little further than just 'making' bento... Take a look," she continued, "I think you'll like it!”

Er... Further? The two older boys shared awkward glances, before turning as Mokuba finally adjusted his hold on the boxes with a slight grimace. "Gh- I'm going to go give nee-sama her lunch!" he said quickly, running off as Yugi and Katsuya both stared. "I'll be back!"

"H-Hey, wait up!" the blond shouted, running after as they took off at a relatively quick walk behind the boy. The boy as well slowed down somewhat, still gripping the boxes as the other two stared. "It's jus' bento right..?"

Mokuba remained fairly quiet, coughing somewhat awkwardly as they went toward the tree Seto sat at. "Erm... I guess..." Yeaaaah...

"Hey," he continued, untying the cloth around his own box, "What's in these anyways..?"

"Ahh..." The boys stopped momentarily, Mokuba again going red as he watched Katsuya and Yugi both open the tops of their bento boxes. Silence for the most part, was what met the air in the seconds that followed that, when they realized what 'a little further' was. Ehhhh...

"...An... How much 'f this did Kyouko make?" Katsuya asked, looking at the petal shaped slices of carrot sitting among the rest of the similarly shaped foods.

"She cooked the food," the boy admitted, bowing his head somewhat as he continued to flush, "But... After the first box was done, I organized the other ones..." So...

Mokuba was the source of the petal carrots...

There was more silence, before a voice from behind yanked their attention forward and further into what was becoming a fairly awkward situation. "...You did a good job," Seto said calmly, a fairly neutral expression in place as she stood behind them with crossed arms. The others swallowed as an odd and almost angry glare was turned on them, Mokuba merely fiddling with the boxes in his arms. "...Wouldn't you two say so?" she added somewhat dangerously, looking at the two older boys.

"E-Ehh... Y-Yeah," Katsuya said with a cough, an honest (if not nervous) smile on his face. "Definitely," he continued, "I wasn' thinkin' anythin' else..!"

"That's right!" Yugi said with a nod, also smiling despite his 'other' currently staring confusedly at the bento box. "You did a good job Mokuba-kun!"

_'...Why does the onigiri look like flowers...'_

"Not now," Yugi muttered under his breath, Katsuya deciding to momentarily ignore the mutterings coming from the spirit beside him as the awkward situation persisted.

Seto held her neutral stare, taking the box Mokuba held out to her and stowing it under her arm. "I thought so," she said with a smirk, walking back to her laptop and briefcase. Errr... K-Kay...

Well, when he thought about it, food was food right? At least Seto was eating right? The blond looked back at the bento, grabbing one of the oddly shaped riceballs and taking a bite out of it. ... "...Hey," he said as he swallowed the bite, "This 's pretty good..."

He probably should have expected the glare he received in response for that one.

* * *

Time passed relatively quickly after lunch was finished. After the somewhat tense moment that came from going from holding back comments on food to breaking an awkward silence with it, the four had ended up settling in and around one of the trees to dig into the bento. It was truly amazing how much time had passed just eating the food, not to mention the time it took bringing the boxes back to the parking lot, and then going back to the tree they'd been sitting at.

...Deciding not to sit at that tree thanks to the now uncomfortable piles of squished flower petals beneath it, as well...

In the end after sitting on the receiving end of a fairly suspicious look from Seto, their next 'tree' turned out to be 'the one beside the CEO's'.

And shortly thereafter, the 'space right beside the CEO's tree, because the last tree was shedding petals in their eyes. By the time six o clock had rolled around the majority of them were just as quiet as Seto likely hoped for them to be. Mostly due to having spent almost the entire day running around (or watching other people running around before either joining in or catching their breath), the rest of the evening was filled with just doing as was intended for 'Hanami'.

Sitting, relaxing, and staring out at the field of endless cherry blossoms, because they were too tired to do anything else. The blond stretched somewhat, holding back a yawn as the four (five counting the other Yugi, who was floating above in the tree) sat in the disappearing sunlight. Looking at the enormous field of pink had been enough to catch all of the boys off guard while they ran early that morning for a few moments. The intense blanket that covered the trees, coupled by the rain of petals coming with the now falling blossoms...

The figurative sea of petals that sat before them made it easy to forget that the field wasn't actually as big as it seemed, and that it was actually fairly hard to avoid 'Seto's tree' itself. Hell, the other Yugi had found himself running _through_ a tree at one point thanks to the distraction, gaining a more than uncomfortable expression after the fact.

Not to mention odd grins and silent laughs from those who saw, while Mokuba stared in confusion and the other Yugi sulked. But the flowers...

Were just as stunning if not more in the sunset. Pure white and off pink blossoms were dyed an orange and red as the sun vanished in the distance, a steady light 'rain' falling down. The sky as well was bathed in the light, creating a soft glow across the entire field. It was completely silent, save for the occasional clacking of keys on the keyboard, or scribbling on paper or...

...Anything Seto was doing...

"Nnnn... Nee-sama," Mokuba finally asked after about an hour of this, looking at the woman from where he was sitting beside Katsuya, "It's long after you would normally come home from work... Can't you put everything down, just for a while?"

The others nodded, Katsuya frowning somewhat as Seto momentarily stopped to look at the three blankly. "Yea! I get that y' like yer job but..." He shook his head, attempting to catch a glimpse of what was on the notepad. The woman in turn frowned, moving it out of sight as the blond coughed. "Eh... What are you workin' on anyways?"

She looked back at the notebook, tapping her pencil against it a few times before snorting. "Hn! ...Nothing you'll be finding out anytime soon Mutt," she muttered, closing the book over as she looked to Mokuba. "Though I suppose this can wait until I get home now..."

Someday, he was going to find out what the hell Mokuba was doing that he wasn't damn it. It was probably a sibling thing...

But they had success- Seto wasn't working any more! Hah! "Heh..." The blond grinned, laughing despite the fact that the woman beside him was a little less than amused. "Tha's th' spirit!"

"Don't push it," she growled flatly, crossing her arms as the blond drew back.

"N-Nyhhhh..."

The others sighed, shaking their heads as the sun continued to vanish, the sky quickly darkening. Within seconds what was coated with a soft golden glow was blending into the rest of the night sky. "Hnn... We should start heading back huh?" Mokuba muttered, staring for a moment before looking at the others. "It's getting da-" The boy froze, turning as light abruptly came into his vision. "...Ahhhh..."

The others as well turned, reactions more or less similar across the board in the case of the boys as they looked out at the field. "Woah..."

_'This is...'_

"Hahhh..."

Numerous lanterns lit up far in the distance, leaving a gleaming, golden glow across the sakura before them. Whereas the sunset had left a pale and almost uniform pallet of colour, before them each and every one of the petals on the trees were now glimmering with candle-lit highlights. "Yozakura," Katsuya muttered, staring with wide eyes. "Woah..."

"The lanterns must be from the other areas of the park," Yugi added, staring with the others as the lanterns continued to light up far off from them, bathing the neighbouring fields in a similar light. "They probably have one lantern at least on each tree..." Again. Wow...

The lights in the distance looked more like small flickering candles if anything, leaving the entire field a-glow across from them. For a fair number of minutes, there was nothing but silence and awe. Katsuya smiled, slouching over somewhat from where he was sitting beneath the tree. Heh... At the risk of sounding like a complete pansy within his head... This was...

Beautiful. The trees, the blossoms, the lights...

He turned, looking as Seto herself held a somewhat less obvious, but nonetheless similar expression on her face, the woman leaning back against the tree and staring at the lanterns. Briefly she turned as well, the smile still there as she held her eyes closed...

For about .2 seconds.

Then she opened them... And noticed that the blond beside her had stopped staring. "Gh-" The woman tensed, abruptly frowning and grabbing her things as the blond beside her broke into a grin and laughed at the action. "MORON!"

"AHAHAHAH!" The others jumped at the shouts, turning as their friend continued to laugh. "Ahaha _hahahhahaha_!" Seto grabbed the rest of her things and stormed off, Katsuya falling back on the ground as Mokuba and Yugi looked over from the side.

"H-Heh... What was that?" Mokuba asked, shaking himself.

"Ahaha... Ahhhh..."

'. _..This..._ ' Katsuya's laughs slowly faded as he watched Yugi's 'other' drift down from the tree, the spirit watching Seto leave with a somewhat dumbfounded expression. '. _..I can't even think of anything that applies to this..._ ' The boy shook his head, scratching it as he sighed.

"Just roll with it other me..."

"Eeh, Yugi?" Mokuba said somewhat nervously, "Who are you talking to..."

Yugi blinked, coughing somewhat awkwardly before he was spared answering the question by Katsuya.

"Hahaha... Ahhhhh..." The blond stared up at the sky for a moment, looking at the mostly star-less sky before slowly pulling himself off and shaking his head. Well... Seeing how Seto was gone. He stretched out, shaking his head again before turning to the others. "C'mon guys," he said with a grin, brushing a number of sakura petals from his hair before turning to head back. "Lets get home..."

The 'three' stared, the two Yugi's both giving each other a shrug to go with their traded glances while Mokuba nodded. "Hah... Yeah," he said, taking a few steps forward. "Good idea... Race you to the cars!" the boy added with a shout, abruptly taking off in a run as the others stared.

"O-OI, OI!" The blond tensed, hurriedly taking off at the black 'blur' in the distance. "No fair, you got a head start!"

"J-Jonouchi-kun, Mokuba-kun, wait up!" Yugi cried, taking off behind them as his 'other' followed as well.

_'Hey! We just got out of a hospital!_ ' All in all...

Definitely the best 'Hanami' he'd personally had since he could remember.

* * *

The drive back to the mansion was likely a little quicker for the Kaiba siblings than it was for the car carrying the guards, Yugi, and Katsuya. Before leaving the parking lot the 'window' in the first car had been closed over for even more privacy in the back seat, with seating arrangements turned around so that while their car was full, both Seto and Mokuba would have the back seat of their car to themselves. Not that he really minded, despite the fact that this meant he and Yugi were sharing the backseat with one of the guards while another sat in the front.

Evidently Kyouko drew the short straw for sitting in the front of Kaiba's car... Or so it seemed until she handily closed the 'privacy window', something that had both of the guards smacking their heads in their hands. Katsuya yawned, stretching somewhat from where he sat in the middle of the car seat on the way back, shaking his head. "Hwaaaaah... Man," he said somewhat tiredly, looking at the clock in the front as he blearily made out a '7:04' on it. To think it was only seven... "Never thought goin' 'Flower viewing' would be so tirin'..."

"We've been out all day," his friend said from the side, also stretching somewhat. "I suppose it's only natural..." Yugi as well gave a yawn, shaking his head as he leaned back against the car seat and continued. "Thanks for inviting me to come along Jonouchi-kun," the boy added with a smile, hands in their usual unconscious position on the puzzle. "Make sure you thank Mokuba-kun and Kaiba-san as well when we get back alright..?"

The blond nodded, stretching again as he rubbed his neck. "Will do..." No problem!

...Save getting in close enough proximity to tell Seto that Yugi was thanking her for something she had been completely against. That would be a little...

Aw what the heck, subject change! "...Hey, you got any other plans f'r th' Golden Week?" he said, turning to Yugi with a somewhat blank expression. Yugi blinked, briefly looking at where his 'other' was somehow sitting on the armrest between the front seats. For a moment, he looked almost nervous about whatever it was he was going to say. His answer however, was only a shrug...

For a moment in any case.

"Well," he began, scratching his head as he deliberately made to avoid his 'other's' eyes, "I was planning on meeting with Bakura-kun on the third..." Katsuya instantly jumped, choking as he shook himself. Alright... H-Hang on!

"B-Bakura..!"

_'WHAT.'_ Real intelligent there, 'other Yugi'...

"If he was going to do something, he'd have done it by now wouldn't he?" Yugi said with a shrug, keeping his voice down lest the guard beside Katsuya say anything. The words appeared to have little effect on his 'other' however, the spirit currently looking at the boy as though he'd just pulled himself out of a mud puddle. "Besides," the boy continued, frowning slightly, "It wouldn't be fair to just avoid him because of the ring! Bakura-kun is our friend after all..." Eh...

That was true but... Try explaining that to the other Yugi...

...Hahhh... Katsuya sighed, shaking his head despite the fairly unwelcome news. Alright... Seeing how he still had a point. "Yeah... I guess yer righ'," the blond muttered, shrugging. "Still... What were y' gonna do?" Yugi blinked, listening as his friend continued. "I thought Bakura was busy figuring out 'Monster World Online'..." Not to mention gushing over being able to play the game without worrying about... Other things.

Again the boy shrugged, his other pulling a face at the action. "I'm not really sure," he admitted, crossing his arms in thought. "I don't want to go to the museum yet, since he said he was still working on something there, but at the same time," he continued with a frown, "Bakura-kun isn't really much for the arcade..."

"Hnnn... That's true..." More of a 'table-top' guy, Bakura. So... There were really no ideas on what to do about that...

"I'll think of something," Yugi decided, shaking his head with a small smile as he pushed the subject aside. "In any case... What about you?"

Katsuya blinked, staring somewhat blankly in response. "Nhy?"

"Golden Week. What are you and the others doing?" the boy asked, leaning against the car door and continuing. "I know that Anzu and Honda-kun are going on vacation with their families for the week, and Otogi-kun is staying with his dad until he recovers in the hospital... But what about you?" he repeated, frowning somewhat. Oooh... That was a good question.

The blond shrugged, shaking his head and looking at the boy. "Eh... Probably jus' gonna go to th' arcade, call my sister..." And visit his dad too, he hadn't done that in a while. Speaking of Golden Week though... "That r'minds me..." Katsuya turned to the side, Odoru blinking as the two boys beside him abruptly moved to address him. "Seto-chan puttin' up carp streamers?" he asked, the guard staring for a moment.

Odoru blinked a few times in apparent shocked silence, before stifling a laugh and he turning away with a grin. "Gh- I didn't expect that one..!"

Taijin as well turned, eyebrows raised as he looked around the seat from the front. "Did you just ask about streamers?"

Yugi and Katsuya both frowned, the blond scowling as he went red in the face. "Tch... It's an honest question!"

"And do we really need to answer?" Odoru asked, coughing somewhat as he continued to grin. ...Now that he thought about it...

Katsuya blinked, frowning again and crossing his arms. "Huh... Tha's a good point..."

_'What,_ ' the 'other' Yugi asked, frowning, ' _What's a good point?_ '

Yugi blinked, silent for a few moments before staring at the puzzle in thought. "Now that I think about it..." His 'other' blinked, leaning 'against' one of the front seats as he listened. "Would Kaiba-san put up a streamer for herself and Mokuba-kun if she celebrated," he wondered aloud, "Or would she only put one up for Mokuba-kun?"

"Or two, for me and Mokuba," Katsuya added, looking up at the car roof somewhat blankly. What kind of strange questions would this bring...

The boy beside him shrugged, pulling a face at that. "Erm..." ...Untouchable questions. That was the answer. Hahaha...

Katsuya laughed somewhat quietly, nodding as he scratched his head. "Right... ...Huh..." Probably time to change the subject. "Good question though..."

He turned to look at Odoru, the guard merely staring at them with a slight grin on his face. "Ah... Ahahaha..." The man shook his head, waving the two off somewhat as he chuckled. "I don't think I'm going to even try thinking about this one..."

_'My head hurts just thinking about it,'_ 'Yugi' muttered, a muffled groan coming from behind his hands.

"But I'm the one with a physical body right now," Yugi muttered, frowning. He was ignored on that one. Well, carp streamers aside.

"Guess I'm gonna find out when we get home," the blond decided, shaking his head. "Maybe Mokuba can ask..."

"Haaah," Yugi nodded, shrugging as he leaned back on the seat. "I guess so..." Yep...

_He_ sure as hell wasn't asking about it.

* * *

Driving back to the mansion was a long ride, if not mostly silent as a whole. It was not an awkward silence. Those sorts of silences tended to require some sort of conversation to start them and in this case, there hadn't even been that. But it was silence nonetheless, considering that the only two in the back seat were a woman with a preference in a feeling of quiet and a considerably exhausted (and likely dozing) young boy. For the most part the two were looking out the windows, locked in their own 'worlds' and thoughts. By the end of it the younger of the two had slumped to the side after falling asleep, head winding up on his older sister's lap when she moved her arm from under his head. The woman grimaced somewhat, arms above her head as she looked down at the boy a moment. Ahhhh this wasn't...

...Oh whatever she decided, bringing her arms back down, let him sleep. The woman smiled somewhat, shaking her head and looking back out of the window as her brother quietly slept away what was going to be another hour of driving. Hn. All in all... The day hadn't gone too badly, if she thought about it. A lot better than the rest of the month she thought somewhat bitterly, that was for sure. Lets see...

Starting at the beginning there was the fire. Initial symptoms of heart attack had likely resulted from the slight chance that Mokuba had been involved. After that it was mostly rage... Partially for the fact that the two idiots in the car behind this one had her brother worried, and partially because of the two being morons and getting in a fire in the first place. She had calmed down from that somewhat thanks to the completion of her jet of course. There were no words for how much better than imagined the jet turned out to be.

But then the rest of the month happened. That 'meeting' with Ishizu at the museum, namely. As teeth grinding as it was, it had been more than made up for by the knowledge (and possession) of the God Cards...

At least until that revelation had been immediately followed up by the strangest if not the most aggravating dream she'd ever had. Certainly not a nightmare, but hell would freeze over before she considered it a 'dream'. The aggravation had been alleviated primarily by the idea of testing Obelisk. The duel disks weren't ready of course but the table had to be able to handle it right?

RIGHT..?

Oh she was wrong. She was very wrong, to put it extremely lightly. The moment she'd drawn the card and successfully summoned it in a 'test duel' on that table the entire board went completely dead, before system itself managed to fry completely. It was nothing that couldn't be fixed, thanks to the device being built with a fail-safe program but...

She wasn't in the best of moods after that. Particularly since that meant no testing the card. So...

She took Mokuba out in the plane. Made use of the 'second seat' in the jet, took off and hit 'mach 2' as fast as safely possible. And while the constant shouts of ' _THIS IS AWESOME_ ' did start to grate her nerves after the fifth round in the sky the fact was, the entire event was all too fulfilling to get upset about. The plane was great, the ride was great, her brother was happy, which honestly made her at least _somewhat_ happy...

And with all that in mind planning for the tournament started going underway shortly after that, her mood having been 'repaired'. General 'set up' was decided, with approximate 'field sizes' being made, the number of people to have participating going up on the 'debate' board in her mind, the prizes, the 'bait'...

And then the next friday came.

And she had that damn dream again, souring the mood that had slowly been rising back to normal levels. The exact same dream complete with any silence being 'lip-read' proof, as though her own mind had suddenly lost any traces of an already basic ability. God...

Damn it...

She'd woken up more than ticked that morning, heading straight from breakfast to the study and locking the door to do some work to take her mind off things. ...Perhaps turn them toward the tournament that would have to (sooner rather than later) be put into place. So far, it was fairly clear that Ishizu's statement of 'city wide' as a description was unfortunately... Very very necessary.

VERY. Necessary. There was certainly not going to be a building in all of Tokyo large enough for everyone to battle 'Swiss format' using duel disks, even with the smallest amount of people that would attract enough attention from the 'Ghouls'- to say nothing of the sort of field required to let them slip in among the competitors.

And if she wanted to use the God cards... Hell, with the progress the duel disk was having in terms of testing and production, not using the disks would be absolutely unthinkable!

So she was going to have to (somehow) close off the entire district of Domino. Which meant that this would need to progress fast enough to be over within one day at the most, a fact that had the woman again narrowing her eyes. After all to shut down a city for one day over this sort of thing was already pushing it...

More than that? HAH. Of course the same day she'd come to that conclusion, she'd been hammered with that god damned dream again...

The dream that had decided to change the ending, stripping away the last bit of unconscious debate against any plausibility in it. It wasn't real. It couldn't be! And god damn it, knowing her luck she was going to end up with that dream this friday as well!

...Though it could always be worse she told herself with a slight shudder, recalling the last 'recurring dream' she had. The one that entered a class of it's own, a category of nightmare with no true name...

It could have been far worse... Far... Far worse...

The woman shook that off, instead lightly laying her hand on her brother's shoulder and staring out the window in an attempt to calm herself down. Honestly... Enough about dreams. Despite all the annoyances they'd been giving her, she'd gotten a fair amount of the tournament planned out today, and if she let nonsense hallucinations based on a stupid tablet distract her from that she wouldn't get anything done. She'd accomplished a fair bit after all... For the preliminaries in any case.

The finals would have to be held the day after the preliminaries, perhaps a few matches on the evening of at the best...

But there was no way that would happen on some random corner of the street, regardless of time limits!

"...Nn..." Seto blinked, pulling her hand up for a moment as her brother stirred. Ah...

Don't wake up just yet... Not yet...

"..." The boy remained silent, his older sister letting out a calm sigh in response. ...Hah...

The woman shook her head as Mokuba continued to sleep, smirking somewhat before looking back out the window. In all honesty despite all that still needed to be fixed, she had to say. Today was nice...

Quiet, 'successful', dare she say it enjoyable despite the presence of certain others... It was nice.

With those words in mind her eyes closed over, the woman's head leaning somewhat against the car seat as they continued to drive back home through the heavy 'Golden Week' traffic. More planning tomorrow. But for now...

It was nice, celebrating Hanami again.


	4. Tin-Can Telephones

"Everything is clear; you may proceed to the phone room."

That was what he expected to hear, and did hear at the gates he was passing through that day. The fact was he'd have been surprised if he wasn't allowed in, despite the fact that it was only his second time coming through.

Katsuya silently nodded as he left his things at the 'front' with the police in the jailhouse, moving through the hall to the large open room with a series of glass booths. A number of cops stood in the room, ready for if anything were to happen, be it an attempt to attack, pass information... But given that there were only two other people there besides himself, the cops, and his father in that room at the moment, it was more than likely that nothing would end up occurring. He was long overdue for one of these visits, he thought to himself as he waited.

Even to at least say 'hi'. "Ahhhhh! Katsuyaaa!" The blond grinned somewhat as he picked up the phone, his father smiling widely as the teen sat down. For a guy that was stuck in a cell for most of the day, he was pretty cheery... Not that he minded really. "It's been a long time," the man said with a slight frown, "A very long time, I never got to find out if you got a woman on Christmas!" Gh-

The blond flushed, tensing. H-Hang on... How many months and that was the first thing he asked! ...Wait, he thought with a mental sigh, rubbing his head. This was his dad...

Of course it was. "D-Dad," he groaned, free hand mostly serving to hold his head as he leaned on his arms. "I didn' do anythin' like that! I got 'er a present," he continued rather insistently, "An' tha's it! There w's no... 'Getting'. Nothing, alrigh'?"

"Ohhhh," the man said with a grin, leaning forward. "So you did meet someone! Wonderful!" Damn it. He slipped up there. "How did she like it?" his father pressed, acting somewhat like a five year old as he bounced somewhat on his seat. "What was it? Did you take my advice on the dinner?"

Aaaa _aaauuughhhh._.. The blond sighed, sitting up again and shaking his head. "...Dad..."

"Did she give you that..?" The blond tensed, looking down at his dog-tags before hurriedly stowing them in his shirt with a red face. "Gh-" Damn it, not again! He'd already had to make excuses for everyone else!

...And his Dad would probably see right through that when he thought about it. "That's not the point!" he shouted angrily, face going rather red. There was a short span of silence, the man slowly chuckling as his son flustered.

"Hahahahaha! Ahhh Katsuya, Katsuya," his father said with a laugh, waving the conversation away. "I'm pulling your leg, give your old man a break ah? This is the most excitement I've heard of since Christmas you know," he continued, sighing somewhat. "It's boring in here... And I still have another year to go you know, before I can get back to 'life'..."

Katsuya blinked, before nodding at that. Yeah... Yeah he did... As to what would even happen after that...

He swallowed, shaking his head. "...Yeah... Tha's righ'..." Who knew. "...Hey... How you doin' Dad?" the blond asked, attempting to smile. "I know it's been a while but... You've been holdin' up righ'? Hangin' in there?"

His father shrugged, smirking. "Well, the food isn't much," he trailed off, leaning on one arm before shifting his expression to a more lecherous grin. "But you should see some of the pin-ups that my inmate has, hehehehehe..."

"Gh-" Again the blond flushed, frowning. "Dad!" It was one thing to talk about this among friends, among parents it was just weird!

...Also, didn't they sometimes record these conversations? "One of them looks almost like your mother at that age," the man continued, smiling as his son stared. Ah... His mom? "When she had her hair long, and would wear it down... She cut it shortly after you were born," he said with a slight nod, chuckling, "You kept pulling at it..." He bowed his head, sighing as Katsuya continued to look at his father in silence. "I wonder what she looks like now... What Shizuka looks like... You saw them in the summer right Katsuya?" he asked, swallowing. "How is she, Akie? Is she alright? Is she looking well?" The blond stared, leaning forward somewhat on his arms. Hnn...

Mom and Shizuka didn't want to even mention Dad... At the same time though, he had a right to know that they were at least healthy didn't he? "She's alright," he finally admitted, nodding his head with a small smile. “Got a few gray hairs thanks t' Shizuka's surgery," he added with a short laugh, shaking his head, "But she's al'-"

“Surgery?" Oh shit, he wasn't supposed to mention that! Katsuya coughed, watching as the man behind the glass paled and swallowed before quietly repeating his words. "Shizuka had... Surgery? But why..."

"Ah... It... It was jus' for her eyes," Katsuya said with another cough, hurriedly trying and failing to fill up the hole he was digging, "They're completely healed now! She's fine!"

"Her eyes..?" The man continued to pale, shaking his head and looking down as he wiped his brow. "I..." He swallowed, shaking himself. "I didn't know... I never knew she was having problems with her eyes... She was always so... 'Observant', always reading... I would never have thought..." Awww man...

"...Dad..." Katsuya sighed, biting his lip. Seeing his old man like this was never... Had they been in the apartment, there would be a case of beer in his hands by now, that was for sure. Seeing his dad like this... "Dad... It's fine alrigh'," he assured the man, swallowing. "You wouldn't 've known, it didn't happen until after th' divorce anyway... It ain't yer fault," he continued, frowning. It was no one's fault, just please cheer up... "...Why don' we talk about somethin' else alrigh'?" he said with a forced smile, his father nodding in response. "...Did I ever tell yah about 'duel monsters'?" the blond asked, 'grinning'. "I made runner up in all Japan with that game!"

The man blinked, quickly shifting his mood over as he stared. "Ah... That card game they're talking about?" he asked, again blinking with slight confusion. Katsuya nodded, grinning as his father did the same. "Ahhh! That's wonderful! Wonderful! In that case..." The man rummaged around in his pocket, before holding a card to the glass. "Ta-daaaaah~ Happy Late Birthday Katsuya~"

"A-" He blinked, looking at the glass. "... A card?" Katsuya stared, before shaking himself. "Dad, how did you get a card in here... ...Wait," he corrected, frowning, "When did you even get a duel monster's card..."

His father merely continued to grin, laughing as he held the card. "Hahaha... That inmate I mentioned thought I should have a Christmas present... They let him bring his deck in when he came in," he continued, "But in the end, I don't play so..." The man trailed off, shaking his head and shrugging. "So I think you should have this ah?" he stated, tossing it over the side of the glass. "Could be useful right?" Katsuya fumbled somewhat as he caught it, hurriedly looking back as one of the policemen raised their eyebrows. A-Ahahaha...

Nothing bad going on here... Well, they were giving him the shrug so...

He looked over the card, blinking. Huh. This was a pretty shiny version of a card, that was for sure... "Panther Warrior..." Hoh... He continued to look it over, blinking. This looked like a pretty good card! The blond grinned, looking back at his dad. "Heh... Thanks!"

"Ohh, it's nothing!" The man waved it off, shaking his head. "But Katsuya," he continued, frowning as he looked up at the clock. "Visiting time isn't that long, you should-"

"Get ready t' go, I know," Katsuya said, nodding as he smiled. "I'll make sure t' tell Shizuka an' Mom you said 'Hi' by th' way... An' that they 'look like each other' or somethin' like that..." Whatever one of those his dad had been going on about. He shook his head, before frowning.

Wait, was his dad going on about that...

Another nod, the man smiling brightly and apparently missing the frown on his son's face. "Thank you... Thank you," he repeated, smiling. "Ah... Before you go," he said somewhat hurriedly, pointing toward his son before the blond could hang up, "I have to tell you, about that 'pin up'... I was just joking around it's-"

"Not a pin-up," Katsuya said, cutting in, "It's a picture 'f th' guy's wife from college... I kn-" The blond froze, paling as he realized what he was saying. ...Wait. How...

How did he know that?

Katsuya's father stared, blinking a few times. "You took the words right out of my mouth," he muttered, staring and shaking his head. "How did you know it was..." The blond swallowed, paling as his father frowned for a few moments before grinning. "Hahahahaha... Aahhhh, great minds think alike hnnn?" He continued to laugh, Katsuya doing the same at a much more uneasy level. Err...

"Hah... Yea! S-Somethin' like that," he muttered, coughing. "Eh... S-See yah dad!" he said quickly, his father muttering the same as the phones were hung up. "Bye..." Sometimes, he told himself with shaking breaths, he really hated this weird 'flash forward' thing.

It was finding an awful lot of new ways to scare him.

* * *

If there was one thing he was great at doing, it was forgetting about all of the things that had caused him so much panic in lieu of something more exciting. In this case, the pool opening up for the summer at school.

Particularly since that same pool was one of the few that was open on the weekends. So of course what else was he going to do with a sunday afternoon off besides take advantage of that?

"ALRIGH'!" the blond shouted, charging down the pool deck toward the deep end. "CANNON BALL!"

"AAACK! JONOUCHI!" Honda roared, ducking as his friend landed a few centimetres away from him. "WATCH IT!"

Mokuba as well ducked away, only a short distance further away from the two. "K-KATSUYA-NII!"

Water was everywhere with the first 'pool weekend' of the year, the first week of June having flown by almost as quickly as the entire month of May had. Heck, anything between that moment and the Golden Week was pretty much done within a single moment. Thinking of the Golden Week though...

When he thought about it, Yugi never did tell them what happened on the third. But given that even his 'other' was relatively alright the next time he saw him, he'd assumed it was nothing too serious. The fact that none of them said anything at all was still a bit weird in his opinion though...

Especially since Bakura didn't say anything either...

The blond shook it off, swimming to the surface of the pool and shaking the hair out of his eyes. Less thinking more swimming; didn't he run this through his head the first day back in school at the end of the week anyways? He wiped a bit of water from his eyes, turning as Mokuba coughed somewhat from the side. "Gh- Katsuya-nii!" the boy grumbled, his friend merely smiling somewhat sheepishly. "Watch where you're jumping!"

"Ahahaha..." Katsuya coughed, shrugging. "Sorry abou' that Mokuba..." Not to say that wasn't fun anyways though.

The boy shrugged, pulling himself out to sit on the side of the pool before shaking his hair semi-dry. "It's alright... I can deal with it," he added with a grin, Katsuya frowning. Wait a second...

He knew that look... "O-Oi," he muttered, Honda as well turning while Mokuba grinned, "What 're you up to..?"

The boy at the side merely continued to grin, shaking his head as he went to grab his towel from the side. "Nothing~ Nothing at all," he continued, pulling the towel around his shoulders as he sat on the side.

Honda narrowed his eyes, swimming over to the edge and leaning over. "My nephew lies better than you," he muttered, gaining a somewhat unimpressed look from the boy.

"That's because I'm not trying."

"Yeaaaaah," Katsuya muttered, swimming over to the edge himself. "We kinda guessed..."

"Hi everyone!" The others turned, blinking as Yugi walked over alongside Anzu. Yugi of course was in swim shorts, like everyone else... Anzu however was wearing a bikini that had Yugi flushing a beet red every time he looked to the right of him.

Anzu continued to wave, smiling. "We aren't too late are we?" Nope... Nope...

The boys stared, watching as the two dropped their towels at the side as they shook their heads. "Naw, you're good... Pools open another hour 'r so," Katsuya said with a shrug, before pulling himself out of the pool to sit. "Hey Yugi!" he added, grinning as the boy gave a 'hey!' in response.

"Nice timing you two," Honda added, coming out to sit as well. "Right when we're trying to squeeze information out of this guy..."

The others turned to Mokuba at that, staring as the boy frowned and remained silent.

"...Wait... Hang on," he muttered, the four having only a slight idea as to what the boy was talking about. "What..."

The others blinked as Mokuba frowned, the boy running over to stand next to Yugi a moment. Kay... What was he-

Honda and Katsuya both blinked as they looked carefully at the two, grins slowly coming over their faces. Oh-HOH! Granted, Yugi was probably more in an awkward place than a 'triumphant' one for the moment, given his expression. "Erm... Mokuba... What are you doing..." The boy continued to frown, slowly bringing his hand up and moving it from his head toward Yugi's.

Where it stopped at the boy's nose.

A fact that very quickly had Mokuba bringing his hand back and gaping. "You... You're taller than me!" Yugi blinked, nodding slowly as the others stiffled grins at the fact. Now this was interesting...

Recently, Mokuba had been staying at his school during lunches to help with his upcoming school festival... Conveniently enough though, that was about when Yugi managed to shoot up about ten centimetres in a few weeks. Which...definitely surprised most of them.

But he hadn't really thought about what would happen when the two saw each other again. Of course... Since Mokuba had only been say... A centimetre or so taller before that point...

Katsuya grinned, continuing to watch. This was probably the most amusing thing to happen for a while. A long while. Mokuba looked at the others somewhat incredulously, pointing back at Yugi and ignoring the teen's slight discomfort. "When did this even happen!" he 'asked', eyes still wide with surprise.

"Um... Over the last few weeks," Yugi answered, coughing. "...I was surprised too but... It's... It's not really that much," he muttered, rubbing his head as Mokuba continued to stare. Katsuya shook his head, laughing. Ahhhh... This was great... This was-

"Hey, where's Bakura?" he asked, frowning. "I thought he was coming..." He knew that Otogi was dealing with his Dad, since the guy was getting discharged soon... But Bakura didn't say anything about any recent 'problems'.

Yugi shook his head, shrugging at the question. "He couldn't come," he explained, fingering his puzzle. "Apparently something went wrong with his computer, so he had to take it in to get it repaired."

"Ah, really," Mokuba asked, blinking. Yugi nodded, the boy beside him shaking his head in response. "I could have done it for him I bet..." Little late for that though, so whatever really. "Alright then... In any case," he continued with a smirk, crossing his arms and gaining a fairly competitive look, "Sooner or later, I'm going catch up to you again, got it? You won't be taller for long!"

Yugi laughed, shaking his head. "Hahaha, alright..." Honestly, that was probably very likely thinking about the size of Yugi's dad compared to the size of Mokuba's sister...

"Ah, that reminds me," the boy added, moving to grab his bag from the side to pull something out. The others turned, watching as he rooted around in it for a few moments "Rebecca sent me an e-mail earlier today- she's graduating this month," he continued, looking up briefly, "And she wanted to ask everyone their opinion on something..." Eh? Katsuya blinked, standing up and walking over as the others moved toward Mokuba as well.

"Rebecca?" he asked, frowning somewhat. They hadn't heard anything from her for a while really... Heck, besides the occasional comment from Mokuba's e-mails, they hadn't heard anything since March.

Mokuba nodded, smiling before looking back in the bag. "Yep. Mostly," he explained with a shrug, "I just get e-mails about her classes and what makes them 'boring'..." Something only Rebecca could possibly get away with saying given her age and what her classes were... "Sometimes we talk about Duel Monsters too," he added rather plainly, "But since I don't play, we don't really talk about much there..." He laughed, before holding out a picture and smirking. "Anyways-"

"Wait..." The others turned, blinking as Katsuya frowned. "Doesn't the summer start in July?" he asked, shaking his head. He got that the states started the school year in September but...

Anzu shook her head, frowning. "That's for Japan Jonouchi, the US ends their year and starts summer in June... " ...Right.

"Oh..." Again Mokuba shook his head, the others turning to look at the picture he was holding as the boy coughed. It was obviously of Rebecca but...

"Wow," Honda muttered, blinking a few times as he looked at it. "She's really dressed up..." The others nodded, Anzu blinking a few times.

"She looks about two years older in that dress..."

"Yeah... Ah, anyways!" The boy shook himself, before explaining. "Rebecca said that her 'Prom' is coming," he stated, looking back at the picture. "Apparently, there's more of a party and dance for graduation over there than a ceremony... And... She wanted to know if she looked good?" He shrugged, the others raising their eyebrows at the statement as he looked at them. "I told her she looked fine," he said with a frown, "But she kept asking about Yugi's opinion..." ...Awww shit, please tell him that didn't mean-

At that, Anzu frowned, crossing her arms while Katsuya shook his head. "She remembers how old we are right?" she asked somewhat dangerously, Yugi coughing fairly awkwardly.

"A-Anzu," he said nervously, flushing somewhat, "It's fine... Really..." Shit.

It did mean that. Oh boy, this was a fight he wouldn't want to see...

"Er..." Mokuba put the picture back in the bag, staring. "So I'll tell her you agreed then?"

Yugi merely nodded, rubbing his head as Anzu looked at the boy somewhat oddly. A look that had the 'Other' Yugi materialize at the side, biting his lip. ' _Oooooh dear..._ '

Katsuya coughed, a muttered 'not now' under his breath as both he and Yugi looked at the boy's 'other' for a brief moment. Not good... Ahhh...

"H-hah... Hey!" the blond shouted, laughing somewhat, "Aren't we s'pposed t' be swimmin' righ' now?"

The others turned, Mokuba tossing his bag to the side before sitting on the chair at the side. "That's why I came," he said with a shrug, frowning somewhat. The expression quickly fell however, the boy blinking a few times before turning to the group. "Ah... But before that..."

Yugi turned from where he'd been about to hop in the pool as his 'other' vanished, the rest of his friends staring as well. "Er... What is it?" The boy quickly grinned, an odd look on his face as he leaned back on his seat.

"I found out what Niisama's working on..."

"AH-" Katsuya grinned, moving from where he'd been heading to the pools edge as the expression grew. "Really?" he asked, blinking a bit of remaining water from his eyes. "What is it?"

Mokuba continued to grin, saying nothing for a few moments as he shook his head. "Not telling~" Whaaaat?

"S-Seriously?" he muttered, frowning somewhat. "Are you serious..!"

Yugi blinked, his own expression mirroring that of the blonds. "Why not..?"

The boy shrugged, shaking his head as his grin was momentarily replaced with a frown. "Sorry... I would say something," he continued, trailing off for a moment, "But every time I think of one way to say it..." He laughed, flushing with excitement as he shook his head again. "It's big!" he said with a grin, eyes wide. "That's all I can say about it, it's so incredibly huge!" Well that didn't tell them a damn thing! "It has to do with the duel disks though," he continued, Yugi and Katsuya both turning at that as their fallen grins began to return.

"The duel disks?" Yugi repeated, Anzu and Honda shaking their heads at the mention of yet another duel-monster's related subject. "You mean Kaiba-san finished..."

Mokuba again nodded, smirking as he explained. "Right! Nii-sama just needs to work out a few more kinks in the system and it's ready to go!" Alright!

Katsuya grinned, pumping a fist as Yugi stared off somewhat. "HAHA! I can't wait!" he cheered, the boys friends once again shaking their heads. "I'll finally get t' see what th' hell s..."

Someday he would stop tripping over that... "What he's workin' on!"

"I wonder how the game will work on the new systems," Yugi muttered, still staring off as he held his puzzle.

"Aaaaaaauuugh, talk about something other than card games!" Honda groaned, falling back in the pool from the edge to float on his back. The others turned, watching as the teen moved out a few feet from the pool's edge and continued. "I mean come on! What happened to talking about arcade games... And swimming!" he added with a splash, the others ducking under the oddly large wave of water that headed their way.

Dodging however did nothing for those by the edge, Katsuya quickly sputtering and spitting out a mouthful of water before turning on the teen. "Gh! HONDA!" Another loud splash came through the air, Honda laughing as he ducked a swipe from his friend.

"Alright," he said with a grin, swimming away from the blond with a laugh. "Now that's more like it!" More like what!

"Get over here!"

"Hey," Honda continued as he dodged another swipe, "You're supposed to close your eyes and yell 'Marco'!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU 'MARCO'!"

As to when everyone else started playing along he had no idea, but he'd managed to make sure that Honda was 'it' ('OW! I'm joking around you ass! ') before wondering what it was about Mokuba's 'secret' that was so 'big'.

Who knew when he'd find out in the end.

* * *

There was one thing certain about what Mokuba had tried- and failed- to say. Mokuba's definition of 'big' was far from appropriate. Mammoth would probably be closer. Or maybe 'titanic'. Or perhaps...

'Planetary'?

'All encompassing'? Well...

Maybe that one was too big, given the size of the room that the 'secret' was revealed in. Either way, there was no surprise that the 'secret' was one that Seto wanted kept quiet.

Particularly after what happened concerning it.

The 'Research and Development' branch of KaibaCorp had undergone many changes in the past few years, compared to the number that it had been in existence. In the past it was mostly a somewhat large room filled with computers and varied devices to develop and test, at a small scale, advanced weaponry. Other rooms beside it were used to test more 'full scale' versions, and when things got too big...

Well, that was what the ocean space that KaibaCorp owned was for. After Seto had taken over however, the room was completely remodelled, along with the rest of the company. Initially it was just computers as before, devices for which to develop and test the various game software that the company would now focus on. Rooms formerly intended to literally drop a bomb within were reformed for the numerous ideas she'd been building over the years, from virtual reality to amusement park models...

After her first 'game' against Yugi, the game that 'wasn't a game' thinking back, it had turned its focus completely to holographic software. Most other things had been set to the side, with all other challenges more or less 'rushed' in comparison. The fact was she wouldn't doubt it if she'd been compared to a 'man possessed' at the time. But now the 'rush' was a little less 'pressed'. Things could flow properly, thoughts were cleared, along with a majority of the cluttered cables remaining from those days. In addition to that a large portion of the room had been rendered empty of all desks and furniture, remodelled for what she was testing just right now. Namely the duel disk...

'Version 2'. The device that was held somewhat tightly on her side and more or less built into the device standing a fair distance away from her. And in addition to that, once the system was ready and the card was re-logged into the database online, her god card would be put to the test as well. For the moment however...

She was waiting for that to finish. She was probably visibly impatient about that given the rushing her employees were doing in the 'control room', 'safe room' as it was called at the side, but for the most part it wasn't enough to warrant too much annoyance. At least not visibly, given that her expression wasn't showing any more aggravation than her standard, 'default' level.

Though if there was anything helping to keep her mood down, this coat certainly helped... It was a nice coat, more comfortable than she'd expected.

But back to business now. The woman let out a somewhat impatient sigh, clicking the new proto-type duel disk on her arm. If this test went well then all they would need to focus on for the next bit was production and logging all existing cards into the new system, recently released cards included. Because hey, that would be fun.

Good thing she wasn't doing it all...

At least all of the monsters could essentially be grouped into certain animation s-

" _Seto-sama_ ," a voice called, the woman's eyes not even moving as one of the men on the development team spoke through the intercom. Ah, took long enough... "T _he main system has been activated_ ," the voice continued, Seto nodding her head slightly in response. Good.

"Nii-sama," Mokuba continued, taking the mike from the man beside him and looking through the glass at his sister. "We're ready over here; we can start the test as soon as you want!" he added with a grin, a thumbs up slightly visible from the corner of her eye. "Just give the word and we'll start!" Alright then...

Another nod, and her deck was loaded into the device. The final test! The woman held her disk forward as the mechanized 'duelist' across from her began to whirr and click into motion. Her deck was being shuffled... As was her 'opponent's'. As for the disk itself, the woman watched as it was activated with a single motion, clicking and unfolding together into a long blade-like form.

Initial assembly worked well enough of course, followed by the small sealers jumping out from the sides, latching on about fifteen feet feet from either side of her. These holograms would dwarf the 'table' versions completely... The sealer's range created an 'arena' of almost twenty feet in either direction, the height somewhat larger in limit.

Heh... She smirked, drawing her hand as the counter on her disk flashed. Soon... Very soon the woman told herself, and she would face her rival with this device. Monsters of 'life sized scale' would clash, and this time she would win! That tablet...

The woman frowned as it came back to mind, immense stone carving practically replacing her vision for a few moments before it was mentally shaken out of view. Who cared if it was real or not she told herself, grinding her teeth as the 'robot' across her drew its hand of cards. Old stones and carvings, ancient relics of the past... This...

This was _her_ time, she told herself with a mental growl, her era! And the only thing that she was interested in was the one in front of her, the one who would be in front of her...

So what was the 'Other Yugi' she briefly wondered, frown fading. Some embodiment of an ancient grudge? A spirit that sought lost 'honor' from the past? Seto snorted quietly, looking over her hand. Heh... Well. Regardless of what _he_ was, she would win the next time they fought! And that glory would be taken to the future...

Lights flashing from the machine across from her took her attention back into the duel. Tactics set to maximum... Her own deck loaded in there... Her dragons would be fighting against her this time, but only this time Seto thought to herself. So...

How would a 'God' fare, against the perfect monster? "Let's go," the woman shouted, narrowing her eyes as the systems were made completely ready. "Duel start!" The computerized duelist across from her 'blinked', lights flashing as cards were 'placed' on the disk it held. With Seto's words it had 'come to its senses', 'eyes' spinning as the lenses looked over the cards.

"MACHINE'S TURN," it stated monotonously, voice echoing around the large and almost hangar sized room. "SET CARD IN ATTACK MODE... BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON." From holographic sealers at the sides white scales instantly shimmered into existence, a petrifying roar coming through the air. Wings beat at the air, a wind almost coming from the beast as a result while Seto momentarily narrowed her eyes. Well... That was certainly quick.

"It... It summoned Blue-Eyes already?" Mokuba was shouting, older sister momentarily looking toward the glass 'safe room' that the boy and developers both were sitting in. "N-Nii-sama!" he shouted, expression set with worry, "Be careful!"

The woman snorted quietly, mentally shaking her head. Hn! Of course she would be careful! It was using the deck she'd spent years developing, even she knew that wouldn't be going down easily! "I'm fine!" Seto shouted, looking over her hand. She was fine... Not much she could try using what she had in her hand right now but... Hnnn. She drew her next card, frowning before placing it on the disk. "I play Invitation to a Dark Sleep, defense mode," she announced, narrowing her eyes as the fully cloaked wizard appeared on the field, cross-legged above the ground. Well, when there wasn't much to do... She took another from her hand, slipping it into the trap/spell card slot. "I also set another card face down... End turn!" T

he computer bleeped, lenses honing in on the monster and card across from it a few times. "THREAT ASSESSED," it stated clearly, opponent snorting. Hah! If it could be called that... "MACHINE'S TURN. SUMMON LORD OF DRAGON." Hn..? Seto frowned, watching as dragon-themed warrior appeared on the field to stand at attention. One second... Two... Three...

Seto frowned, staring. Turn over. It didn't attack with Blue-Eyes. The woman glanced at her face down card, expression blank as she mentally snorted. Huh... The computer was playing cautiously. Her turn then. So long as 'Lord of D' was on the field, nothing would affect dragon monsters... No spells, traps, monster effects...

She would have to count on Obelisk then, if she was going to get anywhere near Blue-Eyes. Hn!

As if she'd expected anything else! If Blue-Eyes had attacked though she thought with a growl, it would have made things much easier. And had 'Lord of D.' not been summoned her monster would have rendered Blue-Eyes 'asleep'...

Unable to attack, unable to change position... "Tch." Fine then! There was no use in complaining about what could have and didn't happen! The next draw then, she told herself, before frowning as she looked over the card. Tch...

...Nothing.

"Hn... Steel Ogre Grotto!" she called out, the decent sized ogre appearing beside her wizard at a crouch. "Defense mode!" Defense, defense, defense... She frowned, holding a relatively neutral frown in place. So much for getting the first hit in right off the bat.

The computer across from her showed no response, merely whirring as a new card appeared in its hand. "MACHINE'S TURN." Yes, she knew. "ACTIVATE SPELL- FLUTE OF DRAGON SUMMONING." Gh-! Seto tensed, eyes widening as the flute appeared in the Lord of Dragon's hand Oh shit...

Not this combo.

"SUMMON TWO DRAGONS FROM HAND," the computer announced, loud 'trumpet' coming out from the flute before it vanished from the field. "BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON... BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON..." Ear-splitting roars filled the room as the fir dragon was flanked by two others, wings held at their sides lest the beasts fill their entire side of the field. Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons...

The woman swallowed, eyes widening for a moment as she looked at the beasts. All three of her perfect dragons staring her down right at this moment. Staring with eyes that almost appeared real, more so than even the holograms had been able to replicate with any other monster. It was enough to unnerve even her to say the least, almost as much as against...

...As against him.

Seto steeled herself, hand moving toward her deck as she narrowed her eyes. Yugi... When she fought against him with the three dragons at her side he faced them without fear. When she faced him with the ultimate combination of the trio, the Ultimate Dragon, he again faced it without fear. Complete and total faith in his strategies, in his cards...

The woman bit her lip, narrowing her eyes somewhat more and staring at her deck. He took each challenge with courage. And won, each and every time. He'd cast his fear aside. Mankind's greatest enemy, nothing less than the monster called 'fear' inside their own hearts...

Not an easy thing to abandon.

Seto swallowed, taking in a deep breath as she drew her card and looked it over. Tch...

This one wasn't it. But she still had her face down. She still had a chance...

The rules the disks were playing by were 'traditional', no tributes to summon, and only one target for an entire attack... There was still a fair shot, if she made that draw. "End turn," she stated clearly, watching the robot ahead of her whirr and click as it made its move. Now then...

"MACHINE'S TURN," the device called clearly, the dragons before it roaring angrily. "INITIATE ATTACK PHASE; BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGONS ALL ATTACK." Another series of grow filled the air, a 'wind' created by the force. Across from her the beams that they would fire were charging, growing, merging in the middle of the field...

And stone was filling her vision.

Tch! Again the woman shook herself, eyes clearing. The past was useless. Fear was useless. She would win...

The future was hers to decide on, and she would win the next time she faced him! "Activate the trap!" Seto shouted, "Negate Attack!"

In an instant the holographic card flipped over, card's image facing the attack to reveal a series of spiralling vortexes to swallow the blast. Only seconds later the field was 'clear', three dragons still angrily hissing from across from her.

"Now it's my turn," she continued, looking to her deck. This card... She would bet everything on this card! She ...The woman looked it over only briefly after drawing it, nodding to herself. Hnh _nhnhnhn..._

And there it was...

"God Soldier of the Obelisk!" she shouted as she set the card, the hologram coming to life as an ominous and groaning roar came from behind her. A gust of wind seemed to blast from behind the woman, and a mere glance upward from the corner of her eye told her that she had barely contained the hologram in the limit of the room. Standing... No, merely kneeling it 'brushed' the edges of the ceiling, eyeless sockets staring forward in a permanent scowl. It was huge. It was powerful...

And it was more than she had even expected, despite the hologram's programming supposedly being limited to the size of 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'.

"Hn!" The woman smirked, crossing her arms as she stared across the field. "I sacrifice the two monsters I have on the field!" Seto shouted, ignoring the calls from inside the 'safe room' as worried cries about 'overloading' came through, "Activating Obelisk's effect... He takes their power and adds it to his own," she stated, the 'God' behind her moving to an awkward attack position from his kneeling pose. "Now! OBELISK!" the woman ordered, pointing toward the computer as a command entered her mind. "ATTACK! GOD HAND CRUSHER!"

Within an instant the dragons were subject to its destruction, Obelisk merely swinging his fist toward the beasts before they vanished into dust. The Lord of Dragon's as well vanished from sight completely, the lifepoints for the computer system falling and dropping in mere seconds. Sparks began to emit from the device, lights flashing erratically...

" _The main computer's going haywire_ ," the developers in the control room were shouting, Seto merely crossing her arms and watching the machine destroy itself. " _The machine can't handle this kind of calculation,_ " they wailed, " _It's burning up!_ " So they'd have to fix it then...

She had her information, it was no probl-

" _THIS IS SO AWESOME!_ " And that would be Mokuba.

Seto grinned darkly as she continued to watch the machine spark and crack before her, chuckling as the hologram of Obelisk knelt beneath the room's ceiling behind her. Only two cards left. Only two, she told herself as the holograms completely dissipated, the systems turning off. And if this was the power of the first, than the possibilities of what could happen with all three... "Hnhnhnhnhn..." No matter what... No matter what stood in her way she would find those cards and make them hers! And when that happened...

When that day came...

She would face Yugi again, becoming the 'King of Games' herself!

* * *

" _Kaiba-sama_ ," a calm voice stated from the phone, Seto looking to it as she tapped the 'speaker' button. " _You have a call from Mayor Yuta-san_."

It wasn't everyday that the secretary patched a call through with those words. Though given that for the past week and a half, Seto had been pushing to gain one day of the roads being closed off in the entirety of the Domino district, it was only a matter of time before the person in control of this actually made contact with something other than paper.

And what timing she apparently had, given that it had only been a few weeks. "Patch her through," Seto stated calmly, leaning back on her chair with the phone by her ear.

" _Of course_."

There was a short click, the voice quickly replaced by that of the current mayor for the district. " _Kaiba-san?_ " the woman asked, voice just slightly laced with hesitation.

Seto nodded shortly, crossing her legs as she held the phone. "That is correct," she stated, eyes drifting over her recent e-mail from the construction team in the US. Hnn, KaibaLand-US was coming along nicely... "May I ask why you are calling 'Yuta-san'?" the woman asked, continuing to skim the mail for a moment before turning her full attention to the Mayor.

There was a short span of silence, the woman on the other end coming to her reason for calling fairly quickly now that she was speaking to her 'targeted audience'. " _I'm calling concerning your request to close off all streets within the Domino district from any form of motor traffic for one single day_ ," she explained clearly, " _For the use of a city wide tournament. After examining the matter further_ ," the woman continued, Seto briefly raising her eyebrows, " _Both the committee and myself are considering the approval of this request, with one condition_." One condition...

"Of course," Seto stated calmly, again nodding despite there being no one in the room. Well if that was all... "...Continue."

" _We request that you abstain from holding this 'tournament' of yours until after Marine Day, on the 17th of July, so as to prevent any schools in the area from being disrupted by this event._ " July... Seto stared at her desk for a moment, briefly looking over the calendar. " _Is this acceptable, Kaiba-san?_ " So then within the first week of the summer holidays, if she expected to keep anything else on track...

Hn! This simply made things easier, most of the high ranking duelists in Japan were of High-school and Middle-school level! "Very," Seto stated calmly, smirking as the plan formulated in her mind. "As a matter of fact, this is perfect..." Alright...

After Marine Day, so...

"In that case," Seto decided, closing her eyes for a moment, "If I could request the complete shut down of motor traffic on the 19th of July for a full twenty four hours starting from six PM the day prior until the same time on the 19th..."

There was a short pause, before Yuta again spoke. " _That is acceptable,_ " she said somewhat plainly, likely nodding on the other end. " _I will present this to the rest of the committee, but you can consider it done._ _We'll have the papers for you shortly._ " Good. " _I hope your competition is successful, Kaiba-san... Goodbye._ "

"Good-bye," the woman repeated, listening as the line went dead. Slowly she placed the phone back on the hook, leaning back in her seat as a small grin came into place. The date was set. Time to send out the 'notice'...

...And make a single phone call...

* * *

It was, rather it would be, nine o'clock at night would be when she got the call. As she had foreseen days before, and again just moments ago. The date was, would be, June the 18th when it happened. Also as she had foreseen.

There was very little that could be kept hidden from her to put it frankly. Besides only two people so far, one of which had no reasoning behind it, all 'minds' were left open to her if she could call it such a thing. It made it difficult not to finish people's sentences for them, for the sake of keeping herself from suffering from constant repetition.

And it made her miss the times when things were simple...

When she lived with her family beneath the cold ground, away from the harsh sun of the Egyptian desert...

Taking part in ancient rites that were lost to time, so much so that there were literally moments when she wanted to rip her hair out and correct archaeological guesses made about various traditions from the past. She missed those days... When she was younger, with her older 'brother' Rishid, and her younger brother...

The days before her younger brother had...

The woman winced at the thought of the 'boy', now a teen she reminded herself, hand flying to her tauk almost subconsciously. Slowly her fingers brushed against the cold gold, the woman taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "...Malik..." She bit her lip, shaking her head. After that...

After that day...

That was when she took up the tauk as her own. When it's 'gift' of prophecy took hold. Where it more or less started. It started small... Dreams where she would enact entire days before they happened, mixed in with the same bizarreness of 'true dreams'. Then there were the 'flashes', along with small lines of dialogue from these same 'true dreams' that would reappear in an alternate situation. And following that, flashes of reality...

Flashes of other people when contact was made, telling her what would happen... Until finally she realized what the tauk needed of her, after placing her hand on the tablet her family had guarded for so long. Taking it's gift completely...

And accepting it. She moved her hand to the side,t he phone ringing right on 'cue' beside her hotel bed as she grabbed it. "Ishizu Ishtar," she answered calmly, head bowed somewhat as she stood from the side of the bed.

" _Ishizu_ ," a familiar voice stated, again as predicted. Such an aggravated tone, albeit well hidden... And as for the message... "Y _ou'll be happy to know that-_ "

"That the tournament will proceed as planned," she stated, not bothering to hold her tongue, "With the city closed down for a full twenty four hours starting at six PM in exactly one month's time... In addition," she continued, pulling the curtains from the window back and looking out at the clouded night sky, "The preliminary rounds will end with the city's re-opening, with final rounds held in a separate location."

There was silence on the other end, the young man likely growling in aggravation from his office at that moment. " _That's correct_ ," Seto stated, Ishizu's expression remaining completely calm. She knew that this man was annoyed... Very annoyed. She could never see too far into the future concerning most facts about people though, so this was all she knew...

That and when the call would end.

But in all honesty the tauk was not needed to discern this annoyance. " _Though I'm beginning to wonder why I even bother speaking to you, given that you clearly know so much_ ," the man spat, Ishizu sighing and shaking her head from the other end. While it was 'nice' to be able to finish the sentences to get them out of the way... There was always this. " _Keep an eye on the news feeds_ ," Seto continued, tone dark as the woman he was speaking to stared through the window. "Y _ou'll find out when I get the other two god cards faster that way._ " Somehow she doubted this... Both concerning the news and the tournament itself.

Nonetheless... "Of course," she stated, continuing to stare through the window as the moonlight peeked through the clouds. "Though I doubt this will be the last time we see each other," she continued, closing her eyes before turning back to the room. Three...

Two...

One... " _...Good bye Ishizu,_ " Seto said bluntly. With a single click Ishizu was left with a dial tone, the woman turning the phone off and taking a seat in the chair by the window.

"Hah..." Things used to be so much easier, back then. The woman bowed her head, shaking somewhat as the phone slipped from her fingers to fall to the ground. When there was nothing but the world below and the moonlight from the wellspring and ceremony room's open and gaping cavern mouth... Their former sole tie to the modern world, the outside world. That room where they would secretly play...

It was so much easier... But fate...

Was never unavoidable.

Or was it, she thought with a jolt, staring at the wall in her room. That blond, she reminded herself with a frown, the one who had acted as Seto's second guard... She'd attempted to glean his soon to come future as she passed, both times in fact after the first 'shot' had failed, but for some reason...

For some bizarre reason that was completely beyond her there was... Nothing. Nothing but darkness, nothing but a 'void', and emptiness, as though he was either guarded or completely immune to what fate decided. It wasn't even like the nameless king, the Pharaoh, whose past was simply devoid of reference to name, whose future was 'vague', but at least there.

But he was just one single exception among millions, Ishizu reminded herself, again rubbing her tauk. One single exception... And she was not him. Which left her own fate quite real, and more than open to the tauk's eye... More than...

...

...She could remember watching as her father beat Rishid that day, quite clearly despite her desire to forget it...

Watching her brother take the Millennium Rod from the side, while she stood frozen in the hall...

Watching as he ran his finger across the razor sharp edge, his hair standing on end...

She could remember shutting her eyes, trying to drown out the sight and screams, opening her eyes only to see Rishid holding the boy away from the sight of him... Of their father...

She could remember Rishid holding Malik away from the bloodied corpse at the side where the blood stained the wall in a single wide line, the patch of skin that sat behind Rishid's own bloody back, the entirety of the initiation carving staring up at the ceiling in the torch light... And not all the blood on Rishid's back was his...

Not all of it...

They were free after that.

True Malik was traumatized, clinging to the rod as though it were a security blanket as she and Rishid kept their father's death, the source, hidden from him, but they were free to leave the tombs. Free to explore the world...

And to be taken _hold_ of by the modern world, taken in by the government of the country they were in. And times had changed since Ancient Egypt, since the laws of the world that they were raised in. Times had changed... Cities filled with buildings and devices that seemed impossible were what met their eyes. And when it looked as though Rishid and herself would be unable to look after Malik... When it looked like all three of them would be separated, due to the lack of knowledge any of them had in the matters of the real world...

It suddenly appeared that the two had vanished completely, leaving her alone. Both of them...

Her brothers...

Her family...

Gone within a single night as she was pulled away, tauk around her neck. And then when she had finally settled in, caught up with the ways of the world the Ghouls had appeared. And her necklace granted her one wish, her one wish, just to see them again...

To see them just once...

And they were wearing black cloaks with the eye of wdjat drawn across the hood... Her little brother sitting on a 'throne', the Millennium Rod in hand. Whispering... Whispering...

_'You're next, Sister._ ' "Gh... N..." Tears slowly trailed the sides of her face, smudging the mascara she'd taken to wearing in the recent times. Why...

Why...

_WHY._..

"Nhn... ...Malik..."

* * *

" _Nihan_?" someone asked for the third time during that phone call. " _Are you alright_?"

Katsuya shook his head as he leaned back in the 'breakfast room' against the wall, groaning. Besides the fact that he'd had enough of this conversation given that he could do nothing about it? Yeaaah... "'M fine Shizuka," he muttered, shaking his head and frowning. "Jus'... Aaaagh..." He continued to shake himself, looking at the phone for a moment as though his expression would be seen on the other end. "Let's talk about somethin' other than 'Keiichi', alrigh'?"

His sister was likely shrugging at that request, but thankfully she was doing just as he'd asked. Personally he'd had enough of the boy he had yet to meet, despite all mentions of 'oh, we're just friends.'. " _Alright,_ " she said, before continuing. " _I'll talk about something else then... How is school for you Nihan?_ " she asked, her brother coughing. D-Damn it, that wasn't what he was hoping for! " _Mom says your grades are low..._ " Ehhhhhhh... That tone was getting dangerous... " _You're studying for the exams though right..?_ " There was a pause, and the girl continued. " _RIGHT..?_ "

He continued to cough, going somewhat red as he leaned over the counter he was sitting at. "Ahhhh... C-C'mon Shizuka," he protested, scratching his head, "Exams aren't for another week at least!"

Evidently, this wasn't enough for his sister. At all. " _Nihan_ ," she growled, brother coughing on the other end once more. D-Damn it, nice one minute, and suddenly... " _You need to start as soon as possible to get good grades,_ " she muttered, her brother continuing to choke on his words He'd do it, he would! " _Honestly,_ " the girl continued, likely rolling her eyes. " _You can be such an ahou sometimes... You're even worse than Keichi-kun! At least he still gets good marks!_ " Him again?

Katsuya quickly stopped coughing, instead glaring at the phone.

" _I don't know how he does it,_ " Shizuka rambled on, muttering off. " _Wasting all that time in class playing duel monsters... And he still-_ " Auuuughh topic change, NOW. Please...

"Hey, Shizuka... Speakin' of school," he said somewhat sarcastically, "How're you doin' for studying?" Since she was so certain that studying needed to happen right now...

There was a slight pause, the girl on the other end apparently caught off guard by the question. Errr...

...Please tell him that wasn't bad... "...Shizuka?"

" _Ah... Sorry_ ," she said quickly, laughing on the other end. " _I got distracted_!" Ah, okay then... " _And I'm fine! Unlike you,_ " the girl continued rather bluntly, " _I'm passing with full marks in my classes nihan... So catch up!_ " Awwww, come on, it wasn't that bad... " _Trust me,_ " Shizuka continued, tone softening, " _I'm perfectly fine... The bandages came off, and everything's fixed! Nothing's wrong..._ " Why was she reassuring him of that? She'd told him last time he called that the bandages were off, so why...

The blond shook himself, smiling. "Well, if you say so..." It was nothing, nothing... "Maybe Mokuba an' I can come visit yah again... Or you could come here!" he added with a grin, looking at the phone somewhat with the thought. Now that would be fun! "Domino's changed a lot since yah left Shizuka, there's a lot I could show you, an-"

" _Oh, that reminds me..._ " Katsuya tensed somewhat, blinking. Please tell him this wasn't honing back on- " _Nihan, after Marine Day, Keichi-kun should be vacationing in Domino for a few days..._ "

Auuuugh, why? Why was it always going back to this guy!

" _He said something about visiting with a friend of his... Maybe you two could meet each other!_ " Hah, NO. " _I could give him your number, or-_ "

"THAT'S... Fine," he said hurriedly, coughing. No no no, not doing it... "Really," he continued, shaking himself, "You don' need t' do that..."

" _Really..?_ " There was a short pause, before the girl continued. " _Alright then,_ " Shizuka said somewhat confusedly, likely frowning. " _Well, it's getting late... I'm going to go to bed, alright nihan?_ " The blond nodded, currently gritting his teeth as the topic of 'Keiichi' hovered in the back of his mind.

He managed to shake it off for a moment though, rubbing his head. "Yeah... See yah Shizuka!" There was a short pause, dial tone coming before the blond looked at the phone in his hand and growled. "Gh... ...If I see that guy I'm sending him straight t' HELL..."

"Erm... What?" Katsuya jumped, turning as Kyouko walked in, the maid notably confused. "Gh-" He shook himself, putting the phone back before frowning. "...What is it with you an' Mokuba comin' in on th' end of my conversations?"

The woman shrugged, shaking her head. "Don't ask me," she said with a sigh, moving past the blond toward the kitchen. "I was just coming in for a snack myself..."

Katsuya shook his head at that, leaning back against the counter as his phone conversation again came to mind. "Aggggh... I swear it..."

"...Who exactly are you 'sending to hell'?" the maid asked, raising an eyebrow as she paused by the kitchen door.

The blond turned, before shaking it off and sighing. "Nothin'... It's nothin'," he muttered, "I jus'..." He frowned, staring at the woman a moment and tilting his head. What the... "...Why're you wearin' a suit..?"

"Hn?" Kyouko blinked a few times, looking over herself and smirking. "Oh... Nothing," she said with smile, moving toward the kitchen again and winking. "You'll probably find out soon..."

With that the woman vanished past the door, leaving Katsuya to stare a few moments. "...E-Eh..?"

What the hell?

* * *

"So that's it?" Honda asked the next day, shaking his head as his friend recounted the 'story'. "She just said 'nothing' and walked away?"

Katsuya shrugged, leaning back on his chair as the others pulled out their lunches. Otogi was off avoiding his 'fanclub' while attempting to get himself some food from vending machines at the moment. Bakura was in the classroom, also fending off a fanclub...

The blond snapped his chopsticks apart, shaking his head. "Weird, I know..." It was mostly common knowledge by this point that Seto had a maid named 'Kyouko', or at least, it was common knowledge among 'the group'. It made it easier to talk about her, that was for sure. In any case... "You know what's weirder though is that she looks 'nough like Anzu that I've got this image 'f her wearin' a suit now..."

His friend blinked, tilting his head a moment at that. Also common knowledge was the fairly eerie resemblance between the two women (who were related in no way). Even so... "What the hell does that have to do with- ...AHHH damn it," Honda groaned, scowling at the blond. "Now I've got that in my head, thanks a lot you bastard!"

Katsuya grinned, laughing as Otogi came back into the room only to be (again) swamped by fangirls. "Hahaha! I was waitin' f'r that t' happen..." Both the swarming and the 'groan', hehehehe...

"Well," a somewhat 'yawning' voice muttered, "It's a good thing you guys are happy..." The others turned, blinking as Mokuba sighed and took a seat on one of the desks after coming in.

Oddly enough, Bakura was probably the first to speak, given that he'd managed to get rid of the 'horde' and come over just behind the boy. "Is something wrong Mokuba-kun?" he asked, blinking. The boy merely sighed, slumping forward somewhat as the others remained silent in the face of a redundant question.

"Hnnnng... I hate exams!" AH. That was it. "How do you guys stand it?" he asked, pulling at his hair. "All I hear about for every class is 'make sure you study for this,' and 'remember, this will probably be on the test'..! Aaaaaauuughh..."

The first two shrugged, Bakura merely sighing as the question was answered by Otogi... Who had also barely ditched the 'swarm'. "That's easy," he said with a smirk. "They don't. Which is probably why they're lucky to still be in this class," the teen added, grinning somewhat darkly as the others growled.

"Oi oi," Katsuya muttered, frowning.

"Hey, remember who's living in whose house," Honda added, narrowing his eyes. Though that threat would only hold for about... One more week really.

Otogi shook his head, merely smirking. "Yeah yeah... At the end of the day," he continued, crossing his arms smugly, "I'm the one with at least a 90% average at the lowest." Gh... Damn it allllll..!

"Hrnnnnn..." The others turned as Mokuba again groaned, Katsuya scratching his head.

"Er... Wish I could help with th' study problem but..." There was a somewhat long pause, before they sighed.

"Yeaaaaah, we're pretty much a lost cause," Honda said with a cough, turning away somewhat awkwardly.

Mokuba frowned, glaring at the group. "Thanks..." The boys shrugged, before watching as Anzu and Yugi came back in.

"So Anzu," Yugi was saying quietly, "On tanabata..."

He turned, blinking as the others waved from the desks. "Ah, hey!" Katsuya smirked, leaning back on his chair. "Manage t' get lunch?"

Yugi merely nodded, holding up a small bag before looking at Mokuba somewhat worriedly. "Ahhh..." He blinked, Anzu as well following his gaze. "...Are you alright?"

Mokuba shrugged, pulling a face. "Yeah, I guess..." The boy continued to wince, before abruptly dropping the expression. "Oh..." He turned, looking at the others with a frown. "You were talking about Tanabata right?" Er... Tanabata? Yeah, that was in a few-

...OHHHHH crap. Katsuya coughed, the others ignoring him for the moment to watch as Yugi nodded. "Ah... Yeah," he said somewhat confusedly, "That's right..." Ohhhhh craaap...

"Yugi was just asking if I was free for it," Anzu continued with a smile, leaning back on one of the desks as she continued. "They'll be having a festival after all..." The woman flushed somewhat, the smile growing. "I even bought myself a new yukata!"

At this the 'other' Yugi blinked, hovering at the side and nodding somewhat as a look of realization came over him. " _So that's why we were-_ "

"Not now," Yugi muttered, looking at his other before shaking himself. The others more or less ignored it, rather used to the 'onesided' conversations by this point... And they were also thankfully _unaware_ of the fact that Katsuya could listen in on that as well. "Mokuba-kun?" the boy added, smiling, "If you want, you could come as well... Unless you were already doing something?" he continued, shrugging. Errrrr...

Mokuba shook his head, frowning while Katsuya continued to cough at the side. "Actually," he said, also shrugging, "I've been meaning to ask... When is it?" Damn it, he should have known...

Honda choked somewhat, as did Otogi while Katsuya mentally groaned. "You... You don't know when tanabata is?" Honda asked, staring. "Is the Kaiba family that closed off?"

"Oi oi," Katsuya growled, looking at the two with a frown. "Lay off... S- Kaiba probably just didn' want it t' overshadow he-" Damn it, stop slipping. "His brother's birthday..!"

That got a reaction. "It's on my birthday?!" Mokuba shouted incredulously, a few people behind him jumping before going back to what they were doing.

"Your birthday is on Tanabata!?"

"Well... That should be interesting," Bakura muttered, staring for a few moments as the others gaped. "If your birthday is on the same day," he continued with a smile, "That would mean more chance for celebration I would think..."

Mokuba merely pulled a face, crossing his arms as he leaned back on his seat. "Hnnng... I guess but... From what I heard about 'tanabata'," he continued, looking back at the others with a frown, "I don't think nii-sama would really go for it..."

"I think that's somethin' we can all agree on," Katsuya muttered, a number of the other boys nodding in agreement. No arguments there...

"I still want to go though," the boy added quickly, looking over to Yugi with a grin. "My yukata from last year still fits," he continued, "And I could always go with Katsuya-nii..."

The others turned to the blond, Katsuya nodding in response. "Heh... 'F course!" He continued to grin, before the look fell to be replaced by another frown. "...Er... Don't y' think tha' S... Tha' Kaiba might've planned something though?" he asked, shaking his head. Mokuba shrugged, shaking his head.

"Probably..." Okay, so what exactly were they mi- "But Niisama's apparently doing some more tests on saturday," the boy explained, smirking. "So all the plans are in the evening..."

At this, the others grinned, a few of them chuckling. "So we could just do something earlier then," Anzu said with a smirk, the expression growing into a grin. "It isn't as though the festival is only held in the evening..."

The boy blinked, coughing somewhat. "Well, I guess we could do that..." Aaaaaalright! The others continued to grin, ignoring the fact that Mokuba was currently going red in the face. "But... Ah..."

"If this is your first tanabata," Bakura asked politely, "Does this make it your first festival Mokubakun?"

"Er... No," he said, shaking his head. "I went to another one in Osaka with Katsuya-nii and his sister but-"

"Sister?" Otogi asked, Katsuya smacking his hand against his forehead as the teen looked over with raised eyebrows.

"Oh yeah, you didn't know?" asked Honda, grinning. "Jonouchi's sister in Osaka, just a little younger than us... Trust me," he continued, the grin widening as Katsuya growled, "She's way, way..."

"Hondaaaaaaa," the blond growled, Otogi ignoring the blond as he looked at the teen.

"Way way what?" he pressed, Honda currently coughing as Katsuya continued to growl.

"SAY ANYTHING AND I SWEAR IT HONDA-!"

When the hell they ever got the plan for tanabata made out who knew...

But at least Mokuba was happy right?


	5. The Evening of the Seventh

The seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar was a date that, for an incredibly long time, served for an important festival to Japan and China both. It was the day when above in the sky two of the brightest stars in the sky would be said to meet, their identities synonymous with a pair of separated lovers. In the past and present both the event was one to be celebrated in the evening...

And though many areas had moved the day one month ahead of July the seventh, or simply to another date within that month, the district of Domino had decided to leave the date as it was. The fact was summer in Tokyo was more often than not one of the hottest moments of the year, even before the peak point in August. Cicada would cling to the trees and the sides of various buildings, fans would roar in all rooms of the home as the windows were held open, and pools would be filled to the brim. It was either that, or areas of the ocean that were available and clean enough to stand in.

And if it was particularly hot, the cicada would be more apt to cling to the open windows, with those who would normally flock to the pools settling for an ice cold shower. Now that he thought about it Katsuya decided as he scratched his head, this was probably why most people at festivals that weren't wearing shorts and a t-shirt were wearing yukata... Anything else and you were probably from Okinawa. Though he had to say...

It was pretty damn amusing that everyone but Honda turned up in a yukata. "Wow," he muttered, staring at the group as he received a series of blank stares. "It was one thing when I was on the bus with Otogi but..."

Bakura smiled somewhat nervously, shrugging as they stood in the center of the closed off street. "...But?"

He shook his head, sighing. "Well now I just feel like an ass..."

The others smirked, Katsuya grinning as he crossed his arms. "I'll bet... But at least y' don' have a two year old clingin' to yah like las' time," he added, the grin widening. Of course, last time was...

The year before last. Either way, the two weren't likely to forget carrying Jouji around that day.

...At all. Honda snorted, frowning. "Yeah yeah... Barely dodged that one," he added darkly, before looking at the blond. "And since when did you wear yukata..?" Hn?

"Me?" he asked, blinking a few times. ...Since he had one? "Tch... I didn' wan' Mokuba t' feel left out," he said somewhat angrily, ignoring the raised eyebrow that Mokuba gave him in response.

The group sighed, Otogi shaking his head and turning back to Honda. "I did tell you," he said somewhat plainly, the teen's hair currently tied in a low ponytail as opposed to the usual 'high' one. "But you just wouldn't listen... 'There's no way everyone will wear the same thing'..."

At this Honda merely frowned, listening as Otogi continued on and shook his head.

"Besides," the teen added, smirking. "Yukata are a great way to attract the attention of certain young women," he whispered, his friend merely groaning.

"Auuuugh... Between you and Bakura I'll be dateless for all eternity," he moaned, slumping somewhat as Bakura blinked from the side.

"It... It can't be that bad can it?" he asked, laughing somewhat nervously. Again the others shook their head, Katsuya smirking.

"What made y' decide not t' wear one in th' first place?" Hell, he thought he had one... The teen frowned, looking over with raised eyebrows. "Besides the fact that I like pants for a reason?" he said dryly. The others raised their eyebrows, and Honda shrugged. "Just didn't feel like it," he decided, shaking his head. "...And at least I don't look like I'm going to a funeral," he added somewhat louder, looking over at Bakura as the teen flushed somewhat.

"I know it's not a festive colour," the albino muttered, skin standing out against the yukata in stark contrast, "But I really like black..." Yeah, well it was scaring the crap out of him Katsuya thought to himself, the others shaking their heads at the feeble excuse.

Not that they were complaining really; Bakura was Bakura... Every bit as creepy as he was nice. The blond sighed, scratching his head and watching as Mokuba looked around at the various stalls curiously. "It's a lot less crowded than Osaka," the boy muttered, staring out as people passed them by. "I get that it's cloudy today but..."

At this Katsuya looked up, shrugging. With the sky as dark as it was it felt more like late afternoon than just plain 'noon'... "What can I say," he said with another shrug, crossing his arms. "Domino's more 'f a game area than a festival one..." Particularly within the last year...

"Not to mention," Anzu added, shaking her head and smiling, "The next district over has fireworks, a cloudless sky, and it's only eleven o'clock." Uhhh... There was that too. The boys coughed somewhat, shifting as the woman crossed her arms and went on. "In any case," she muttered, turning to Mokuba. "It's your birthday right? Well... What do you want to do first?” she asked, the smile widening.

Mokuba blinked a few times, looking back around at the stalls. Mask stalls, games, food, souvenirs... "Ahh..." He looked over at one of the 'game' stalls frowning. "Hn..." Hahaha, yeah... Just as stuck as he wa- "Oh..." The boy turned, walking over to the side. "What's that one?"

The others turned as well, Honda staring a few moments before following after the boy with the group. "That one?" he asked, blinking. As Mokuba nodded Otogi shrugged, crossing his arms. "That's a carving stall..." They walked over, Mokuba taking a seat on one of the stools as Honda explained the stand's 'purpose'. "Basically," he began, watching as the boy looked over the varied baskets of wooden slats, "You use the sticks here to trace and carve out a small wooden key-chain... No refund if you break it by the way," he added, the boy nodding as Katsuya looked over the stand as well.

"Hnn... There's lots here," the blond muttered, taking a seat beside his friend. "At leas' twice 's many as th' last stand I saw...”

Mokuba merely 'hnn'ed at that, staring at the piles. "Wonder how I'll do..." The others rolled their eyes somewhat bemusedly, watching as the two both handed over five hundred yen and grabbed a small piece of semi-carved wood.

Ok, lets get going...

Yugi looked over their shoulder's, watching the two carve away at the bits of wood for a few moments before jumping somewhat. "Is that one a kuriboh?" he asked, blinking as Mokuba looked over his own.

"Huh..." The boy stared, before nodding at the somewhat evident 2-D 'fuzz-ball' that was being carved out. "I guess it is," he said, pausing in his carving to cross his arms. "That's new..."

"Well," Bakura said with a slight cough, looking at the banner at the side and laughing quietly, "The stand does advertise Industrial Illusions... I suppose it's only natural." I... I2 huh...

At this the others traded blank stares, before turning back to the carvings with equally vacant expressions. "...I think I'm done here," Katsuya said with a cough, looking back at his 'scapegoat' carving before pocketing it.

"Yeah, me too..."

"Well," Otogi said with raised eyebrows, arms still crossed as the group scooted away from the stand "For someone into duel monsters that was fairly quick..." Not quick enough.

"You probably shouldn't ask," Honda muttered, stretching somewhat as they made their way down the street. "Oh hey, masks!"

They blinked, watching as the teen ran off to a separate stand with a smirk. It was indeed a mask stand... Or at least a souvenir stand with a stacked tower of masks on either side. "Oi Otogi!" Honda shouted with a laugh, the teen raising his eyebrows as their friend held up a mask. "You should get the carp," he continued, grinning. "It looks like you!"

Otogi snorted, rolling his eyes and looking over the masks for a moment rather than busying himself with glaring at the one his friend had. "I might be a 'carp' Honda," he said rather nonchalantly, "But at least that means I get to be a dragon some day... Unlike you," he continued, smirking as he grabbed another mask and held it forward. "Who look more like this one."

The others blinked, staring at the green turtle-like mask their friend held. A... A kappa? Honda tensed, growling as he put the mask back. "O-Otogi..."

"Hey," he said with a smirk, spinning the mask in his hands before putting it back. "I'm only being honest..."

"Katsuya-nii," Mokuba said, looking over the masks himself as the others argued. "Do you think we should get nii-sama a mask like we did last year..?"

Another mask? Ehhh... "Unless y' want he- him t' know we came," the blond muttered, before the others turned to the pair.

"You guys got Kaiba a mask?" Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, eyebrows raised. There was a short span of silence as the boys nodded, before one of the others sighed.

"You got a dragon didn't you," Honda asked with a blank look, the teen receiving another similar stare from Mokuba in response.

"You know," Mokuba decided, crossing his arms as he changed the subject, "Just because it's my birthday you don't all have to follow me around all day..." There was another round of silence before Anzu nodded at this, sharing a short look with Yugi before speaking.

"He has a good point," she said with a slight cough, continuing on. "Why don't we all meet back at the center of the street in a few hours for lunch," the woman decided, shrugging somewhat. "Maybe... Two o'clock?"

Most of the boys shrugged in response, Otogi nodding. "That sounds like a plan," he said, turning to look at one of the neighbouring stands before heading over with another nod. "I'll be over there if anyone needs me..."

Honda and Bakura as well turned, blinking as the teen made his way over to what looked to be a stand involving dice games. Haha, it really figured... "Hey wait for us!" the former said loudly, chasing after as Bakura looked from the two to the others. "Hey!"

"Erm..." The albino looked again, before sighing and shaking his head. "I'll see you all at two o'clock then," he finally said with a slight laugh, running off. "Good-bye!"

"Ah, see yah then!" Katsuya called out, looking back to Anzu and Yugi before blinking. "...So..." A short span of silence came through the air, the blond coughing. "You guy's got any plans or..."

"Hey, goldfish scooping!" The three jumped slightly as Mokuba ran off with a shout, the others following after the boy only to laugh as he stopped and frowned. The stand looked the same as most 'goldfish scooping' ones. Save for one thing that was standing out in the tank. "...Turtles?"

"Oh..." The others watched the tiny green turtles swim around, Mokuba still raising an eyebrow. "They have turtle catching this year," Yugi said with a smile, his other appearing beside him with raised eyebrows.

' _...Turtles?_ ' he repeated, hovering over the tank with a blank frown. Yugi nodded, Anzu and Mokuba both raising their eyebrows while Katsuya watched the two 'Yugis' turn to each other.

“Yeah," he continued, the others quickly catching on to what was going on. "Turtle catching. It's like goldfish scooping," the boy explained, "But since the turtles are heavier, it's a lot harder than with fish..." The other Yugi continued to stare, appearing to hover rather close to the tub of baby turtles while Yugi laughed somewhat quietly. "Er... Do you want to give it a shot?" he asked, scratching his head. The spirit turned rather quickly, Katsuya flinching somewhat before shaking himself off as the two Yugis continued to speak among themselves.

"...Who is this boy talking to?" the stand manager asked quietly, Anzu merely frowning and responding with a somewhat dangerous look that sent the manager back with a bowed head. "F-forgive me for intruding..." Yeah he better be sorry-

Katsuya turned back to look at Yugi, watching as he nodded and gripped his puzzle. "Alright then," he said with a smile. The boy closed his eyes, the familiar gust of 'wind' passing through as his other self vanished from sight. Just seconds later and it was the 'other' Yugi in the body, with the lighter self hovering beside him in the after effects of the wind.

Anzu and Mokuba both blinked, staring for a few moments. "...Yugi?" the woman asked hesitantly, watching as the teen pulled out 500 yen and handed it forward with a fairly determined expression in place.

"One round," he said clearly, watching as the money was taken. The man nodded, pocketing the cash and grabbing a few things from the side. "You have until the pon breaks," the manager explained, handing the teen a small dish with the net. "Good luck!"

Yugi quickly nodded, the others watching with mild amusement as he stared almost calculatingly at the tub. For a moment his lighter self appeared to say something, mouth moving somewhat as the spirit at the side waited for his other to make his move. But in the end he decided to turn to Katsuya instead, the boy sighing somewhat as he smiled.

' _There's a part of me that knows he'll catch it but...'_ The two looked back, watching as the Other Yugi continued to stare at the tub. ...Yeah... The rest was left unsaid really...

"Hey kid?" the manager muttered after another span of silence, 'Yugi' still in the same position as he had been to start. "Are you going to actually play any time soon?"

The others continued to stare as well, similar reactions in place before jumping as the teen abruptly swiped at the water. About a millisecond later and there was a turtle in the dish, an alarmed looking Yugi shoved back into his body as a smug looking 'other' appeared at the side in ghostly form. _'Hah._ '

"N... No one said you wouldn't make it," Yugi said with a quiet laugh, the others shaking their heads at the visible or assumed smirk on the teen's face. Yugi turned back to the stand manager with the still functioning 'pon' and dish in hand, preparing to pass it forward before freezing and turning back to his other self. For the moment, it looked as though he was asking what Yugi was doing with the turtle, the spirit having tapped his lighter half on the shoulder and frowned.

A few seconds later, and the theory was proven.

"...I'm giving it back," the boy said with a somewhat plain tone, shrugging. "I wasn't going to-" The spirit blinked a few times, looking back at the turtle and again saying something that Katsuya failed to hear. For a moment, the two 'Yugi's merely stared at each other...

But in the end the boy sighed, shaking his head. "...We could keep it I guess..."

At this Mokuba blinked, staring. "Wait... The other Yugi wants to keep it..?"

"Can you look after a turtle Yugi? I heard they were expensive..."

"Hey, if th' other Yugi's for it..."

The two Yugis continued to stare at each other, before the 'solid' one sighed and smiled. "Hah..." He turned to the manager again, still smiling despite the evident confusion the man held. "I'm keeping the turtle, okay?"

The man blinked a few times, looking somewhat oddly at the group before taking the dish and pon back with a nod. "Alright then... Here," he added, carefully putting the turtle in a bag before holding it out with a slip of paper. "Coupon for the tank."

At this Katsuya glanced at the stand's 'flag', mentally laughing. Hahaha... The same pet store on the coupon... Why was it only now that he noticed all the sponsors? "Thank you," Yugi said in response, giving his 'other' an amused look and shaking his head as the spirit stared at the turtle. "You realize that you're looking after this guy right?" he asked, laughing somewhat as the others looked at the turtle as well.

The 'Other' merely ignored the boy for the moment, continuing to look at his new pet. ' _...I'm going to name it Sheta..._ ' Okay, Katsuya decided with a somewhat incredulous smile, so no one was going to be getting through to this guy for the next hour most likely then...

Given that the spirit was now having a staring contest with a turtle that was holding a permanent squint...

The others shook their heads, sighing and chuckling at the look on their friend's face. For the most part, it was as a result of Yugi's own reaction. Though had they been paying attention, Mokuba and Anzu would probably have realized that Katsuya reacted before the boy, shaking his head and laughing at the sight. Thankfully for him though...

They weren't.

* * *

By the time two o'clock had rolled around most of the group had managed to migrate back to the center of the street festival. After a while visiting game stands and souvenir stands lost its appeal, even for the resident 'king of games' hovering at Yugi's side.

By the time they found the others again after wandering the streets for their remaining time, it looked as though Bakura was attempting to break up another argument between Otogi and Honda concerning masks (again)...

Which was conveniently stopped by the boys spotting Yugi's new turtle, each of them staring at the small 'bowl' he was carrying. "You got a turtle Yugi-kun?" Bakura asked, blinking as the others came over. The boy nodded, holding the bowl up and letting the others look inside.

"Yep... The other me won it in the turtle scooping game," he explained, smiling as his 'other' merely smirked. "Not sure why he called it 'sheta' though," he added, frowning.

And given the look on his 'other's face, neither did the one who came up with it in the first place... Which was really expected by this point, with all the things that he simply 'knew' about himself.

"'Sheta'?" Otogi repeated, the others turning to him as the teen spun a rabbit mask on his fingers. The teen blinked, spinning halting for a moment as he idly passed a small bit of money over to the stand owner. "...I think that means 'Turtle' in hieratic..." Errr...

What? Katsuya blinked, staring. "'Hieratic'..?"

Otogi nodded, holding the mask firm as they began to walk down the street. "Technically Middle Egyptian," he said with a shrug before again spinning the mask on his fingers, "But yeah; I can't read it completely of course," the teen added with a slight laugh, "But my dad taught me a few things..."

He fell silent for a moment at that, looking away briefly. Yeah... His dad...

That was kind of a rough subject, if they were putting things lightly. Again the spinning stopped, before continuing as it's owner as well pulled himself back into the conversation. "It's a cursive writing system that was developed along side the hieroglyphs in ancient Egypt," Otogi explained, looking to the others seriously. "It was used specifically by those of high rank, Pharaohs, priests, scribes..." So all the rich guys then, Katsuya thought mentally. "Being a written language," the teen added with a shrug, again holding the mask firmly in his hands, "It obviously doesn't mean that the word would be pronounced any differently in the other forms of writing though... Not until it evolved into demotic I mean," he continued with a cough, shaking his head. "But that's the first one that came to mind really..." The teen shook his head, continuing on as he idly tossed the mask up and down in his hands. "I guess the closest thing you could compare it to is hiragana; scribes used hieratic to write things down quicker, whereas hieroglyphs, like kanji, more often than not refer a certain thing." At this the others looked back at Yugi, who looked at his 'other' somewhat blankly. Egypt huh...

That just kept coming back to them didn't it...

...Speaking of Egypt though... "...Otogi-kun?" Bakura asked blankly, the others again turning to the teen as he returned the blank stare. "H... How many languages do you know?" Y-Yeah, what he said...

"How many?" he repeated, blinking as the others nodded somewhat nervously. Otogi blinked again, frowning. "...Hnn..." The teen crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought for a moment, "Lets see... Spoken, I have English and Japanese for obvious reasons..." Obvious meaning 'official language and language that will likely save your ass in another foreign country'... That or 'company' things. Which was how Mokuba phrased it in his own defense apparently. "...I know a bit of Arabic," he continued offhandedly, waving the mask somewhat like a fan, "But not enough to pass as anything more than an asshole tourist..." That was always good to know. At least he'd never be lost? Otogi rubbed the back of his neck, continuing on with a grimace. "Ah... As for the written languages..."

Wait, there was more? The others blinked, staring with wide eyes and listening as the teen spoke.

"I can somewhat read hieratic and hieroglyphs... Not completely though," he added with a sudden frown, giving a somewhat dangerous look to his friends, "So don't pull me off to the museum as a test." At this the others laughed somewhat nervously, before Otogi continued. "I can actually read Enochian as well but..." The teen coughed, frowning as the others continued to stare. "You know what," he decided, most of the others simply wondering what 'enochian' was, "I think I'll just stop sharing how many dead languages I know... I prefer being the 'game inventor' over the 'language geek'," he added darkly, frowning. No one was calling him that...

...(Though that was a hell of a lot of dead languages there...)

"Ah... Right..." The others blinked, coughing somewhat awkwardly for a few moments before watching as Anzu moved off to the side with a smile. "...H-Hey," she said, changing the subject with a slight laugh. "Look- They have a play going!" A play?

The boys turned, before sharing a series of winces as Anzu continued to make her way over. Ok... There were masks, and...

Auuuuugh... Noh play...

They reluctantly followed behind Anzu, watching as the woman peered over the small crowd that gathered. "This isn't going to be like the one we saw in Osaka is it?" Mokuba asked with a groan, ducking somewhat as Anzu muttered a 'shush!' in response.

"Why?" Bakura asked, keeping his voice down as he turned to the boy curiously. "What was that one?"

There was a short silence, Katsuya and Mokuba trading awkward glances. The one they saw? Eh... "...Boton Dourou..."

Bakura brightened, smiling as he recognized the name. "Really?" Erm... Yes, and they really didn't\- "Was it any good?" the albino continued with a grin, continuing to beam at the idea of the play, "I was hoping to see it sometime-"

"Erm..." The boys paled somewhat, before jumping as Anzu moved past. Hey, opportunity for a subject change! "Ah, Anzu-"

"They're just doing the same one they do every year," she muttered, sighing as the others blinked in confusion. ...Kay... "Though I probably should have guessed," she continued with a frown, shaking her head. The others stared somewhat as the woman continued to walk off, shrugging to each other as Anzu continued. "Oh well..." Okay...

Um... "Maybe we should just have lunch?" Otogi decided, the others turning as their friend pointed off to a yakitori stand. "Wouldn't you say?" At this there was a somewhat loud 'grumbling' noise, a few of the boys flushing somewhat before nodding. Well...

It was after two... "Eh... Sounds good t' me," Katsuya said with a laugh, scratching his head and walking toward the stand in question. Now what to eat... There was the stuff here...

"I wonder if there's a takoyaki stand around here," Yugi muttered idly, wandering away as his 'other' followed behind him with a slight frown.

_'I don't like takoyaki.._.' Hahahaha...

Katsuya sighed, mentally shaking his head. The things everyone else didn't hear... The blond decided to ignore the less than private conversations going on, instead looking over the food at the stand while the others wandered off to find their own meals. Smelled good enough... "I'll take four," he after a few moments, handing over a handful of coins for the skewered chicken with a grin. "Mokuba," he asked, turning to the boy with a grin, "How many do you want?"

Mokuba blinked, shrugging as he looked the food over. "I'll take two for now," he decided, nodding to himself and looking up at the blond. "...Wait..." He turned, frowning. "Where did everyone else go?" Eh?

Katsuya also turned, gripping the numerous kebabs in his hands and blinking. "Ah..." He stared, looking around before simply shrugging it off. "...Guess they went t' get somethin' else to eat..." Not everyone liked yakitori right..? (And Yugi did say he was getting takoyaki...) “Anyways, c'mon," he decided, handing Mokuba his yakitori as they continued. "We c'n go sit by the pier," Katsuya decided, looking down at the boy as he ate through his chicken, "That's where th' bamboo an' papers are."

"Bamboo?" The boy stared for a short moment, turning from his food before blinking. "Ah- right... You're supposed to write down a wish and hang it on bamboo right?" he asked, before taking a large bite out of his chicken. Katsuya nodded, taking a bite out of one of his skewers before explaining.

"Yep- an' then later in th' evening," the blond went on with a grin, "They set 'm on fire an' send 'm out t' sea. We won' be here for that 'f course but..." Well... He shrugged, continuing on nonetheless. "We'd probably get stuck in th' crowd anyways..." Given that more people were already beginning to gather...

The boy nodded in response, going back to his yakitori for a moment before turning back to his friend. "Right... ...So..." He fell silent for a brief moment, Katsuya blinking at the expression Mokuba held as the boy spoke up again. "If 'tanabata' is the 'evening of the seventh'," he asked, the frown deepening with confusion, "Then why didn't this happen last year?" Er...

The teen coughed somewhat, flushing at that. "Ah... Hah! Good question..." Very good question, and he'd kinda hoped the boy had forgotten... He coughed again as he was met with a questioning and unimpressed frown, before shaking himself. "Ah... Well, fact is," he admitted, rubbing his head with his free hand and wincing, "When y' said th' seventh, most 'f us assumed y' knew..." And looking back...

That was probably a pretty stupid idea. Still. "An' I know Shizuka asked about going to a tanabata festival for yer birthday," he added, shrugging as Mokuba raised his eyebrows, "But in th' end, Mom said it w's that 'r th' Bon festival we went t'..." Couldn't afford to go to both with everything else that was going on really... The blond shook his head, frowning somewhat as he looked down at the boy. "I guess it jus' never came t' mind..."

Something that really didn't seem to be sitting to well with the kid. "...Right..." Mokuba nodded, turning away for a moment as the pair fell silent. "...Hey, Katsuya-nii," he asked, turning to the blond after a few minutes. "For the 'wishes'... Does anyone expect them to come true?" ...Honestly, it was times like this that made him remember just why Mokuba got along so well with his classmates as opposed to those in the boy's middle school class...

"Eh... W-What?" he asked, choking somewhat as he looked down. Even so, the question was a little... Jarring. The two stared for a moment, before the taller shrugged. "...Who knows," he said with a sigh, smirking. "I mean... I could make a thous'nd strips 'f paper an' ask f'r good grades," he muttered, shaking his head, "But I know I ain't gettin' it! I think th' point is t' wish f'r something more..." Ahh... "'Bscure," the blond finally said, waving his hand a bit as he looked for the word. Yeah something like that. Uh... "Somethin' that's more focused on what happens rather th'n what y' want, y' know?"

The boy tilted his head somewhat, before nodding as Katsuya held his oddly steady gaze on the topic.. "I... Think so," Mokuba decided, pausing somewhat as he wrapped his head around the words. "Ah... Oh, hey!" he shouted, stopping for a moment as they turned the corner before grinning. "Hey! Guys!" he continued, running down the street with a grin.

Katsuya watched as Mokuba ran off, hurriedly charging after the boy as they spotted the others. "OOi," he yelled, continuing on. "Mokuba!"

"Guys!" Mokuba continued shouting, ignoring the blond for a moment as he slowed down. "Where did you all go?"

The others turned from where they were standing at the pier, blinking as the others came closer. "Hah... Jonouchi-kun, Mokuba-kun..." Yugi smiled, stepping back from where the others had been crowding around a spread blanket. Briefly, he looked back, a nervous look on his face as he gave a laugh. "Ta-dah~"

Yeah, there went that surprise...

Mokuba blinked, walking over and looking at the 'cake' the others were sitting around. "Eh..? What..."

"Red bean cake," Honda said with a grin, laughing somewhat as the others took a seat. "Was going to be a surprise," he continued with a shrug, "But... You can guess how that turned out..."

At this the boy merely blinked, turning as Bakura continued on. "We grabbed a bunch of papers as well," he stated, holding a few out with some pens, "Since we're right by the stand..." Again the two blinked, looking to the side at the stand momentarily before turning back.

"Hah... I didn't realize we were already this close to the pier," Mokuba muttered, looking back at the group before grinning. "...So this is red bean cake then?" he asked, gesturing to the large reddish-brown pastry.

They nodded, watching as Otogi struck a match off the concrete at the side before carefully lighting a thin wire standing atop the cake. "Yep! ...Stand back," he warned, the others doing so as sparks abruptly fired from it, the teen waving the match through the air to put it out as the wire glowed under the clouded sky.

The boys tensed somewhat, pulling back. "H-Heh!" Didn't see the wire there before!

Bakura smiled, laughing somewhat as Mokuba stared at the sparkler. "I had a few sparklers left over from new-years eve," he said calmly, watching as the sparks traveled down the wire before continuing. "I thought they would make good 'candles'..." The albino's smile widened, Bakura turning back to Mokuba. "Do you like it Mokuba-kun?"

The boy quickly nodded, continuing to watch as the sparks ran through the air. "O-Of course," he said rather quickly, turning to the others. "It's great, I mean..."

Katsuya shook his head, tugging the wire out of the cake as the final sparks died. Screw words, birthday cake time! "Anyone got a knife?" he asked, only to blink as Yugi pulled a square from the side and stared. ..Eh...

"Um..." He swallowed, giving another shrug as the others stared. "...It's pre-cut Jonouchi-kun..."

"...Oh." Of course...

"Hey, this is pretty good!" The boys turned as Mokuba chewed through a piece of cake, Anzu shaking her head as she looked up from where she was writing something on a pad. Well, cutting issues aside, time to dig in then... Mokuba looked back at the pastry, crossing his arms somewhat as he took another bite of his piece. "I should save a piece for nii-sama..."

"Well, it's cut into eight," Otogi said with a shrug as he grabbed himself a piece as well, "And there are only seven of us..."

"Hey Anzu," Honda asked, attempting to look over the woman's shoulder as he ate his own share. "What are you writing down for your wish?"

The woman turned, blinking before making a move to hide the paper in question. "Hn..? Oh... It's... It's nothing really," she said with a cough, blushing somewhat as she laughed, "You already know-"

"Eh, this about yer dance dream Anzu?" Katsuya asked, idly getting the feeling that it wasn't just that.

Anzu frowned, turning with raised eyebrows before nodding. "Yes..."

"Hn? You dance?" Otogi repeated, blinking as the woman slowly nodded in response. "...I never knew that..." Well, given that there weren't any clubs or classes involving it at the school that would allow Anzu to indirectly say otherwise...

Yugi nodded, smiling. "Yep- Anzu plans on going to New York to dance on Broadway shows someday," he explained, the woman beside him flushing somewhat as she coughed.

"Ah..." Anzu turned, blinking as the boy beside her paused in his eating to frown. "That could be a bit..." Mokuba coughed as he received a fairly stiff frown, hurriedly correcting himself as he choked. "Erm, good luck?" Yeah... Nice save. "Ahhhh... Y-Yugi," he said quickly, turning to the boy with a nervous laugh, "What are you going to wish for?"

The boy blinked, looking up from where he'd grabbed a piece of paper to write on before answering. "Me? Ahh..." Yugi turned back to his paper, biting his lip for a moment. "...I haven't actually decided yet," he admitted, laughing before he looked back at the boy. "...You?"

"Ehh..." He bowed his head, flushing. "...I don't know either..."

"Well... I know what I'm wishing for," Honda said with a grin, waving a blank sheet of paper for a few seconds before grabbing a pen. The others looked up, blinking as their friend quickly began scribbling a series of kanji and kana on the sheet. Eh..?

"Y' do?" Katsuya asked, blinking as his friend merely nodded. "What is it?"

"Not saying," he said rather quickly, ignoring the fact that Otogi was currently looking over the teen's shoulder with somewhat narrowed eyes.

"Eh? How come," the blond asked, swallowing down a bite of bean cake.

Honda merely shrugged, crossing his arms and going back to his paper. "I'm just not saying."

"C'mon!" Katsuya said with a laugh, "It'd have to be insanely embarrassing for y' to not say anything..!" ...Which made it all the more worth finding out, hehehe...

At this his friend merely scowled, gritting his teeth. "I'm not saying anything Jonouchi!"

Otogi glanced at the slip of paper as the two argued, frowning as he looked at his friend. "Why would you need 20,000 yen..?" 20,000 yen? Funny, the blond thought, that was just enough for a train trip to and from-...

...Wait. A. Second.

"O-OI!" he shouted, quickly putting the two things together. "HONDAAAAA!" Katsuya shouted as the teen hurriedly fled to hang his 'wish' on the bamboo at the side, "I told you to stay away from my sister!"

"Hnnn..." Otogi smirked, grabbing a slip of paper and scribbling something down himself. Katsuya quickly turned back to the teen, growling as he pointed to him accusingly.

"...An' that includes you too Otogi..."

The teen merely shrugged, holding his hands up in 'defeat'. "I know... I know..."

...He was still writing that down, somehow he knew this...

"Hey, Bakura," Yugi asked, turning to the albino as their friend started on his own wish. "What are you writing down?" he continued, opting to ignore the arguing going on behind him. Bakura blinked, looking back at his paper.

"Oh... Nothing much," the teen admitted quietly, keeping a small smile in place. "I'd rather not say though," he continued, bowing his head somewhat. "It's probably a bit superstitious," Bakura added with a slight shrug, smiling wryly, "But the fact is, I'm not sure the wish will actually go through if I share it..."

At this Mokuba blinked, looking up from his own with wide eyes. "R-Really..?"

The albino nodded, smiling. "Of course... Moreover," he explained, the smile becoming somewhat larger, "I'd rather believe that my wish comes true because of what I do to achieve it... Things have a way of working out like that after all," he said with a nod, before leaving to hang up his paper.

Mokuba continued to stare, eyes somewhat wide. "Ahh..."

"What about you Jonouchi-kun?" someone asked from the side, the blond jumping somewhat as he looked up from his own sheet.

"Eh..." He turned, blinking. "What?"

"Your wish," Yugi asked, laughing quietly as his friend sat back down. "What are you wishing for?" he continued, smiling. Huh... His wish...

Katsuya looked back at his paper, before turning staring at the others briefly. "My wish..." That would be... "...That none 'f this has t' change," he decided, smirking rather softly compared to his usual look. Just constant 'normalcy' with a bit of 'other Yugi' mixed in, he added mentally, the others merely smiling as they continued with what they were doing.

No weird crap...

* * *

"You two are very lucky," Kyouko hissed when the two boys came back an hour or so later, Katsuya and Mokuba trading nervous glances in response.

It was bad enough that they'd literally run all the way back after noticing the time when they finished at the tanabata festival. But coming inside to find an enraged maid was not something they had been looking forward to. "Er... Lucky?" Katsuya asked, laughing nervously as Kyouko continued to stare them down.

The maid scowled, crossing her arms as the door was slammed shut. "Seto-sama called only ten minutes ago asking if everything for Mokuba-sama's birthday was ready," the woman stated, eyes narrowed. "She also asked if _you_ two were ready," she continued, "And I barely made it through the phone call with 'they're almost ready'!" Yeah 'almost' didn't tend to cut it with-

Wait... Riiiiiight... He had work today...

Katsuya coughed, flushing somewhat as the maid continued to shake her head. "Er... But it's alrigh' now... Righ'?" the blond asked, laughing nervously.

The scowl remained set, Kyouko tapping her foot as the boys swallowed. "Provided you're in 'normal' clothes before the next five minutes pass," she muttered, glare set in place. "Yes." Uh...

F-Five minutes! The two bolted, the sound of thundering footsteps coming through the air as both boys headed to their rooms.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!" Katsuya's room door slammed behind him, the blond scrambling to grab his shirt and jeans from the floor as he pulled off his yukata. "Aaaaaaahhhh..." Wait, why the hell was he rushing? The blond blinked, pausing as he pulled his pants on before frowning. His shift didn't start for another ten minutes Katsuya thought with a frown, so what...

_-kots-kots_

"Eh?" Katsuya turned as knocking came from the side, opening his door for a moment and blinking. "Ah- Seto-ch-" The woman before him narrowed her eyes, Katsuya hurriedly coughing as he gripped his t-shirt. "Er... K-Kaiba..."

"I was told you would be ready by this point," Seto said rather plainly, the woman crossing her arms as Katsuya stared. Uhhh... Y-Yeah... He looked back at the t-shirt, flushing somewhat as he pulled it on. There was a small bit of silence as the blond did this, Seto merely turning away to head down the hall. "What ever," the woman muttered, shaking her head. "We're going to KaibaLand," she continued, Katsuya poking his head out into the hall as the woman said this. Kay... Um... "

Er... How long 'r you an' Mokuba gonna be?" he asked, blinking. He kinda had a present for the kid so... Be nice if he could give it to him before the day ended. Seto turned, raising her eyebrows as she looked at the blond with narrowed eyes.

"We will be spending most of the evening there," she stated, crossing her arms as Katsuya stepped out into the hall. "Whatever moronic plans you have for the evening can wait Mutt. It's my brother's birthday," she continued with a frown before moving back, "And if you think you're going to skip out on that," the woman muttered dangerously, trailing off as she glared at the blond. H-Hang on...

W-Wait... "Wait," Katsuya muttered, shaking himself. "I'm comin' too?" There was a blank look in response, a grin slowly forming on the blond's face as he stood there. He... He was coming wi- Haha... Hahahahaha... "YEAH!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air with a cheer, "YEAAAA-"

"Keep shouting," Seto growled angrily, "And you're not, idiot."

"Eh... Righ'... Hahaha..." The blond coughed, scratching his head before turning back to his room. "Ah... ...I'll go grab Mokuba's present then..."

Hopefully the clay was dry by now...

* * *

She thought it an obvious point, that the Mutt had been invited only to humor her brother. The fact was, she had planned on going alone, just the two of them...

But after overhearing the two plan out a 'secret' celebration behind her back, deciding on the times that would be best to evade her notice she decided against it. It was pointless to fight it really. If Mokuba was set on something he wouldn't turn away. There was no denying it.

Her brother liked the idiot, and as long as she didn't (or at least proved the fact), she and Mokuba would not be telling each other everything... Let alone what he was doing with the blond and his friends. Mokuba's 'friends', she supposed. Secrets were expected of course...

Hell, there was a lot, as wince-inducing the thought was, that she didn't know about him, something she was personally trying to get better at now that she had the chance. But it was nice to know where he was at least. In case something...

Either way. For now she would bring the blond along to things like this, for her brother's sake. Bring the 'dog' along with them to the roller coasters, to the arcade games...

Personally, she wasn't sure what to feel after the 'party' was over. Happy that her brother had been grinning the entire time, running back and forth with Jonouchi, dragging her around the amusement park to ride after ride after ride... Or disappointed that she hadn't gotten that kind of reaction. True, Mokuba had been smiling, and laughing during the time that they'd had the day to themselves, with no one in the building save them but...

She supposed that Jonouchi added more energy to the situation.

An energy she didn't.

Just a general 'excitement' that came with the blond's idiocy. She wasn't being 'replaced', she told herself plainly, that would be impossible for one and unthinkable for another. But again she would have to accept that the blond 'dog' was 'there'. And he wasn't leaving, despite her...

Momentary wishes.

...But what would happen if he did? Seto frowned as the question came to mind that evening, the woman leaning against the pillows of her bed as a small breeze came through the open window. The 'birthday' was long since over, power at the building shut down and presents given...

The 'secret' that was the boy's tanabata escapade was for now, a secret. But despite the somewhat relaxed feeling that came with the drive home the question still gnawed at the back of her mind. How would Mokuba react if Jonouchi was suddenly gone, vanished completely? According to Kyouko, to the rest of the staff, her own 'absence' had hit hard. But according to them...

The only thing that kept the boy from completely losing it in all of that was the combined fact that she would somehow come back... And the fact that Jonouchi and his 'friends' were there. There to distract him from any more depressing moments, to cheer him up. But if they were gone...

If they were _gone_...

"...Tch..."

The thought continued to badger her, with other muddled facts from upcoming events coming to mind. Battle City would start in twelve days, announced in ten in front of the Domino Museum, the latter of which had been a request from Ishizu that she would keep despite personal opinion of the woman. On the eighteenth the duel disks would be released to the public, and only those with a certain skill level recorded in the database she'd built would be given a disk with a locator card in it...

With the number of 'high level' duelists, there would be slightly more than enough locator cards for eight finalists. She'd had the 'final location' decided in May, tasked Isono and Fuguta with the actual location that the cards would point out... But she had no doubt the ghouls would swarm this city come that day. That was the purpose of the tournament after all.

Lure them out, get the God cards, and she was not about to go back on that. If Yugi competed... Then that would be fine. She would have her fight with him then, something she was personally looking forward to. As it was the woman decided, from what Mokuba told her she would have better luck challenging him up front; evidently tournaments, particularly 'ante' tournaments, 'weren't his thing'. And even with that, Yugi had his 'Other', the one she wanted to fight, should the Ghouls target him...

Well. There was no doubt that they would and that, in the end, they would more than likely suffer for it. The further into the finals anyone got, the more at risk someone would be, that was for certain. There were more cards than just the Gods after all... As it was, the only reason she was so certain they would come, outside the prospect of Obelisk, was the very 'Ante' rule that this tournament would have. A rule that also according to Mokuba, would quite likely keep Yugi _out_ of the tournament.

Well, as long as they had the match...

The Ghouls...

Seto bit her lip, frown deepening as she sat in her bed. Bodies followed that gang, misfortune, death... What would _happen_ if...

"Tch!" She shook herself, gritting her teeth. "I don't have time to think about this," the woman muttered, lying back down on her bed with a growl. It was time to sleep. Tomorrow she would be going through the 'rankings' system to filter out who would and wouldn't be allowed in the tournament, along with going through the last few 'check ups' on the air-ship built for the tournament and she could deal with anything concerning the rankings then. She needed sleep...

She'd certainly gone through enough trouble making sure Mokuba had his cake and ice-cream at an hour that wouldn't affect his sleep patterns... Might as well make an effort of stabilizing her own...

Sleep, she told herself, closing her eyes. Sleep...

* * *

But as her senses began returning to her it became rather apparent that 'sleep' was not on her subconscious' schedule. If anything it felt more like sending her into an oddly realistic dream was.

...God damn it not again.

Seto groaned, eyes opening to meet with hard stone coated with sand that was almost identical in colour. It was night time from what she could tell, given the poor lighting... And in all honesty, when she'd failed to have another dream after Hanami she'd gotten fairly confident in the fact that it wouldn't happen again.

Obviously she was wrong and personally, she blamed her earlier phone call to Ishizu, a call that had formerly been made nothing more than a past annoyance by news of things like the airship being completed, the ranking system being almost complete...

Somehow, Seto told herself grimly, that woman was the cause of this. "Tch..." She shook herself, attempting to stand only to frown'. What the...

She couldn't move. Not her face, not her hands...

Nothing. Outside her own control she felt her body pull itself upward despite those thoughts, heaving and coughing as a result of some foreign feeling of exhaustion that was over coming her. Fatigue washed over her and settled hard as she felt her own subconscious actions mirroring that of the 'body' she was in, groaning. Something heavy on her head was adjusted... A helm of sorts, she told herself, an odd feeling coming again as she attempted to narrow her eyes only for nothing to happen. "Ung..."

There was her voice again... But she wasn't speaking the woman noted, so how the he-

Seto tensed, watching as tanned hands pushed her up from the ground before pulling out a sword of sorts from in front of her despite the weakness. No, not even tanned... Though her gaze lingered on her hands only briefly before fixing themselves on the ground from weakness a mere glimpse had been enough. Dark...

This wasn't her skin tone... Nor did she wear robes...

God... Damn it all...

Seto 'grit' her teeth, a low growl forming but nonetheless proving to refuse to come out as her body continued to move on its own. This... This was the 'Priest'! The robes, the helm, the skin... The same man... Woman, if the voice was any sign, that showed up in the same damn dream three weeks in a row!

"Aggggghhh..." Alright... So she couldn't move, she was in the 'dream'... ...This...

The woman's gaze moved upward somewhat, slow blinks closing over her vision as she looked around. The area she was in looked nothing like the last place her 'dream' took place in, with the ruined buildings among the desert. In fact, it didn't look like it at all. If anything it looked more like a courtyard to a palace, or a temple, or...

The woman's body tensed, shaking somewhat as she righted herself and turned to the side.

"...Akhenaden," the Priest muttered, voice as well disguised as her own would have been for most of the day. The body shook with laboured breathing, Seto forced to stare forward at a pair of figures some distance across from her with narrowed eyes. A pair of figures that momentarily had Seto stunned.

The first thing that caught her attention from the figures was the eye that the smaller bore, an eye which was locked in place by a mask that spawned a wig of flaming red hair. Gold... In the mask, there was...

The woman 'swallowed', ignoring the steady silence that was being held between the two in the dream. The Millennium Eye...

"My _dear_ Set..." The woman frowned, both mentally and physically at the comment as the figure across from them addressed 'her'. "You were my greatest student you know," the 'man' stated, white mask and gleaming gold eye staring forward from a grotesquely armored form.

The 'Priest' shuddered in response, saying nothing as the red-maned being continued speaking, a flaming monster of almost crocodilian appearance standing loyally at its side... Snaking around the man with all the flexibility of a vile and endless serpent.

"Such a pity that it came to this," 'Akhenaden' continued, shaking his head and gesturing forward. "We could have ruled all of the world together, under the power of this darkness. We would have run things as they should... Made things perfect..." Darkness...

Ignoring the clearly faulty attempts to convince this 'Priest' to what was likely a darker path... Briefly their eyes drifted upward, narrowing further at the slight gold ring around a perfect orb of blackness. Well... Power of 'darkness'. That was a solar eclipse up there...

So apparently, it wasn't evening as she had thought. Huh.

The woman felt her mouth move, words coming out yet again in the language that she both knew and didn't know. "Tch... And just what use is a world of darkness?" she asked, a low growl forming in her throat. "A world where all the people inhabiting it are either dead or dying, where no plants grow and the Ra's light never shines?" The 'Priest' and Seto both stumbled, weakly holding the sword forward as they struggled for air in a weak attempt at a fighting stance. "I may not have the power to face you with a monster from within another's soul," the 'Priest' continued, tightening her grip on the blade and reminding Seto even more just how much her body was no longer her own, "But believe me when I say this 'Shadowed One'... I will fight until my last breath..."

Silence filled the air, along with a blast of ominous wind. "To hear that from the one I would have been proud to call a 'son' if ever I had one," the being muttered, sky appearing to almost darken further as he spoke. "Hmph. ...So be it," the monster spat, flaming servant charging forward. "This is the end...!"

"Gh..." They rolled off to the side, ducking under a blast of flames that singed the edge of the cloak on their shoulders. This wasn't real, Seto told herself repeatedly despite the heat that she felt against her arms. This wasn't her body she continued with a mental growl, this wasn't... "HRA _AAAAHHH!_ "

The Priest charged forward with the sword, metal clashing against fire only for the woman to pull back under the blaze. Flames surrounded their vision, burning their skin and with a swift and painful strike she was thrown back, body striking one of the pillars to the side.

"GH _AK_!" Gh-...

"SET!" a voice called, tone higher and more panicked than the woman's own under normal circumstance. The woman struggled to stand, tongue bitten in shock as blood began to pool in her mouth. Coppery taste, a disgusting, vomit inducing feeling and this wasn't _REAL_! "SET!" Still the woman struggled to stand, before across the air a 'ripple' seemed to pass...

"GRO _OAAAAAAAAAOOOOO!_ "

And suddenly instead of flames, her weakened and closing eyes could make out white scales... And the massive form of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, hovering protectively before her as she leaned against the pillar and chocked on her own blood. But how, she thought, the feeling shared by the memory as well. How... "HOLD ON, SET!" the voice continued to cry, Blue-Eyes charging a white hot blast of sparking flames as its opponent roared in aggravation. "SE _EEEEEE-T_!"

Suddenly...

The dream was over.


	6. Shadows Tailing Shadows

The fact that Tanabata and Mokuba's birthday were both over and done with was a thing that made the nearness of exams far more evident than it had been before, particularly after Sunday had been pushed out of the way. In a mere instant Shizuka's annoyed shouts of ' _study, nihan_!' became a fairly haunting reminder, and the fact was, with Tanabata out of the way...

There had only been one week of school left.

Four days of which had been exams, and the last of which became the day for 'score card bingo'.

In other words, the day when the marks of every student in the school would literally be posted for all to see in the hallway... Names included. All in all after an already hair-ripping and aggravating experience with trying and failing to remember what the hell kind of equation applied to the math exam and anything else that had to do with his other classes, Katsuya was personally trying to pay more attention to bingo...

Rather than what sort of phone call he would have to expect from his mother once she got wind of his marks.

Because while he would admit that they were slightly higher than the year before, when he'd effectively placed dead last out of his grade... He was definitely not in the average range and the fact was, Honda and Yugi still both beat him, with all three of them sitting somewhere in the three-hundred zone.

Again.

On the other hand... "Okay," the boy beside him muttered, looking over his card before glancing back up at the top fifty on the mark postings. "I got numbers 50, 32 for girl..."

Mokuba was sure having fun kicking his ass at this game. "Man..." The blond laughed somewhat as he rubbed his head, looking at the boy's card. "I've got th' worst luck w' this, honestly," Katsuya muttered with a nervous laugh, rubbing his head as he looked over his card. Marking off each number as 'girl' or 'boy', from start to finish with his numbers...

He got two lines. Both diagonal. The others however...

Katsuya looked at the other two, watching as Honda shook his head and held his own up with a shrug. "Three..."

Bakura as well nodded, blinking. He'd decided to join in earlier after Yugi asked him about it- and he was probably the only one besides Mokuba in the group that wouldn't get the comment of 'CLASS NOT GAMES' as a result. "The same here," he said quietly, before turning to the others.

"Hahaha!" The others turned as there was a slight rustling, Mokuba stowing his pens in his pockets before holding his own card up. "I got four!" the boy said with a grin, laughing. "Beat that!"

At this Yugi looked over, his other hovering beside him with raised eyebrows. "Ah, you got four?" he asked, looking over the card before glancing back at his. "Then... Hah! That means we tied!" he said with a laugh, eyes wide. "Wow!" W-W-W-Wait, what? Someone managed to-

"T-Tied," Honda repeated, blinking. "Can that even happen?" he continued, Mokuba and Yugi both opting to ignore the sputtering as they compared cards.

"You know," Anzu said with a grimace, standing behind the boys as they looked over their cards and tapping her foot somewhat impatiently. "I don't know about what was at stake for this round of bingo," the woman said with a shrug, "But you should probably look at your own scores. Bakura is probably okay," she added, gesturing to the top 100 at the side, "But..."

The rest was left unsaid.

The three Anzu referred to in question winced, Katsuya shaking his head as he paled. "'D rather not," he said with a grimace, rubbing the back of his neck as Shizuka's shouts of 'study!' came back to mind again. "Really would rather not..."

"Yeah," Mokuba muttered, looking back at the board nervously. "I don't think even _I_ want to tell your mom what your score was Katsuya-nii..." Gee.

Gee thanks... "I'm sure you'll do better next time right?" Bakura asked, attempting to console the three 'dead-lasts' as they flushed. A short silence came as a result, grimaces still in place. Not... Likely.

Honda shook his head, edging his way back through the crowd as the silence continued to persist. "In any case," he decided, opting to break it before it got too awkward, "How about we get out of the swarm, seeing how schools pretty much out for the summer?" Good plan!

The others nodded in response, slowly shoving their way through the crowd and into the next hall as their friend continued.

"Any ideas on what to do next?" he asked, turning to the others momentarily as he tossed his bingo card into the trash. "Maybe Burger World?"

The others shared looks at that, likely considering their options before Katsuya shook his head. "Sorry man," he said with a wince, the group coming to a slight stop as they turned the corner. "Startin' t'day I'm on summer hours; it's night shifts 'till th' end 'f August fr'm now on, an' Burger World's in th' opposite direction..." Which really sucked, but damn if having lunch for breakfast wasn't fun sometimes.

While Mokuba nodded the 'affirmative' on that Honda sighed, pulling a face as he crossed his arms. "Sheesh," he muttered, shaking his head. "How tied down to that job are you..."

"Well... Kaiba-kun does provide him with housing," Bakura stated calmly, arms held somewhat loosely around his front as he frowned. This tended to be the 'default' pose for him recently, and he personally had a nasty feeling he knew why... "From what I can tell," the albino continued, pulling the blond beside him from his thoughts, "Despite the large number of hours it isn't actually that bad... Wouldn't the school have normally refused his continued studies here otherwise?" he asked, turning to Mokuba with the remark.

Mokuba again nodded, smirking as he adjusted the bag he'd been carrying. "Hehehe... Yep! Nii-sama made sure that wouldn't happen," he explained with a somewhat dark grin, "Trust me on that..."

"Er..." Honda blinked, raising his eyebrows and turning to Katsuya. "Kaiba did that?" Yeah yeah, so it was weird...

Katsuya shrugged, waving the topic off and stowing his hands in his pockets. "Eh... 'S prolly b'cause I don' get as much pay," he muttered, again shrugging it off.

"That _would_ explain it I suppose," Bakura continued, nodding shortly. The boys paused for a moment as they fell silent again, before turning to look around rather blankly at the hall. "Ah..."

"Hey, where did Yugi go?" Honda muttered, looking up and down the hall in an attempt to locate both the boy and Anzu as well. They continued to look around, frowning somewhat before watching as Mokuba poked his head around the corner.

"Over here," he whispered, waving them over and turning back. The teens followed, blinking as they spotted their friends standing some distance away. They were obviously talking about something... But just what was it about?

The others moved somewhat closer to the corner, narrowing their eyes in an attempt to listen in on the couple. "What'r they talkin' abou-"

"Shh," Mokuba hissed under his breath, the other two as well giving Katsuya a short 'look'. The blond ducked somewhat, shaking himself as he continued to listen in. Sheesh, just asking...

"Anyways," Anzu was saying, grabbing a few things from her locker and occasionally turning to Yugi as she spoke, "Mai mentioned that she would be coming by sometime this summer," the woman stated calmly, "So we should probably keep an eye out..." Mai was coming? Huh...

Guess she had another job... "R-Right," Yugi said in response, nodding as he looked up somewhat at his friend. Briefly it looked as though the boy's 'other' would be taking part in this conversation as well, with the spirit misting into existence at the boy's side as his lighter half continued muttering away. However after a few less than successful attempts by the spirit to instill conversation Katsuya noted, he opted to hover back by the others instead.

"Wait," he muttered, frowning as he turned back from the three in front of him. Briefly Bakura moved, apparently considering turning around, but in the end opted to merely continue listening in. "You c'n move tha' far from 'im?" the blond continued with raised eyebrows, voice held as low as possible.

The spirit merely shrugged, shaking his head. ' _He's blocked me_ ,' the other Yugi said rather plainly, blinking. _'I tried to get in,'_ he continued with a slight frown, ' _But whatever it is he's talking about he won't tell me what it is...'_ What..? The blond again frowned, blinking.

Was that even possible? "So later on Marine Day," Yugi was continuing in the hall, Katsuya and the other Yugi both turning their attentions to the conversation. "Are you free around ten?" he asked, the eavesdroppers in question raising their eyebrows at the words.

"Ten?" Anzu repeated, blinking. For a moment she frowned, before smiling and giving an affirmed nod. "I'd say so..." Yugi instantly beamed, grinning.

"Great!" he shouted, before running off down toward the school's entrance. "I'll see you at the bus stop then, alright?"

At this Anzu balked, turning to chase after the boy with wide eyes. "E-Eh..? Wait, Yugi..!" Oooookay...

"What on earth are they going to do?" Honda muttered as they moved from the corner, Katsuya turning to look at the other 'Yugi' with raised eyebrows.

_'I... I think he finally took my advice_ ,' he muttered with a grin, before laughing 'loudly' and looking back down the hall. ' _Ahaha! He finally d-_ '

There was a sudden 'cut off' as the spirit 'vanished' unceremoniously, Katsuya jumping somewhat as he was met with empty space. Hang on, where...

...Woah...

Guess distance was something they _were_ working on, if the other Yugi was being pulled back like that... "This should be good huh?" Honda said with a grin, the three turning to Katsuya as the blond looked back and quickly mirrored the expression. "Ten on Marine Day..."

Hell, disappearing spirits aside... Yes, yes it would be. "Hehehe... Damn straight!" he said with a laugh, stretching his arms out somewhat as an idea formed. "Looks like Yugi's finally goin' out on a date!"

"O-Oi, Katsuya-nii," Mokuba said with a slight laugh, looking at the blond. "You aren't seriously thinking of following them are you?"

There was no answer as Honda and Katsuya traded smirks, Bakura sighing. "I really don't think this is a good idea," he said with a frown, the other two merely ignoring him as they continued on.

"Ten o clock at the bus stop eh?" Hehehe, that's what they said... "Which one you think?" Honda asked, still grinning.

"Knowin' Yugi," Katsuya asked, also still grinning despite the looks on Bakura and Mokuba's faces, "I'd say th' Domino Mall stop downtown; it's th' half way point be'tween his an' Anzu's stops," he continued, the grin somehow widening as he went on.

"Are you two even listening?" Bakura asked incredulously, staring at the two with mild shock.

Mokuba merely sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "Whatever," he muttered, giving the two an unimpressed look before rolling his eyes. "I'm going to be with Seto-niisama on Marine Day anyways," he muttered darkly, "It's not my fault if you two are caught..."

Bakura as well sighed, biting his lip as the other two turned toward them with blank looks in place. "I think I'll sit out as well," he admitted, before turning to leave with a nervous frown. "I hope you both don't end up in trouble though," the albino continued, bowing his head somewhat at the thought. "I don't think Anzu's the most 'merciful' concerning stalkers..."

Katsuya shuddered at that, swallowing as he recalled the 'inspiration' to that comment. Hihhhh... Given what happened at the one amusement park... Yeaaah. Definitely not...

"Oh hey..." The others turned, blinking as Otogi came from up the hall and adjusted his bag. "I was looking for you guys... Wanted to ask you something actually," he continued, before blinking as Mokuba approached him. "Ah... Mokuba?"

"Hah... Just in time," he said with a grin, the others raising their eyebrows.

"...Just in time?" the teen repeated, frowning.

"Monday, ten o 'clock at the downtown mall bus stop," Mokuba said, pointing at Katsuya and Honda both. "Please make sure they don't do something stupid," the boy added, laughing nervously as the two teens in question reeled on him.

"S-Stupid!" Honda asked incredulously, face going somewhat red. "Oi oi, what do you take us for?"

Otogi as well shook himself, frowning for a completely different reason. "Ah... What?"

"You'll understand in the end," Mokuba said with a shrug, before running off with a wave. "See you! And don't get caught Katsuya-nii!"

"O-Oii!" the blond shouted loudly, turning to look down the hall as the boy fled. "If you're so worried, how come you ain't comin'!"

"What's going on?" Otogi asked with a blank frown, looking at Katsuya with narrowed eyes.

Bakura sighed, biting his lip as he looked at the teen. "It's probably best not to ask Otogi-kun..."

"N-No seriously," he said with a slight laugh, "What the hell is..."

In the end, they probably shouldn't have been too surprised when Otogi was just as on board with the idea as they were, though he did seem particularly ticked that they hadn't just told him to begin with.

* * *

Marine day brought a few things for everyone to think about to say the least that day, but to start it all off, getting to the bus stop was fairly easy. Avoiding the attention of Yugi and Anzu, who were meeting at the stop ahead of theirs was another story- but somehow they'd managed.

"Alrigh'," Katsuya said with a grin, looking around the corner of the mall as he spotted Anzu greeting Yugi. "They're meetin' up..." Couldn't tell what they were talking about but they were meeting up, with Yugi (as usual) wearing his school uniform jacket...

...At least he'd stopped wearing the entire thing all the time...

"Hey how come you get to be the one in front?" Honda muttered in annoyance, only to be shushed by Otogi.

Katsuya rolled his eyes, turning back to the two for a moment. "B'cause you were in front las' time, alrigh'?" the blond muttered, shaking his head. "Now..."

He tensed, stiffening as a sudden and violent rush of wind and energy passed by from where Yugi was standing, only for the blond to watch as the 'Other Yugi' rather angrily started shouting at the puzzle a number of feet away.

"...Uhhhhhh..."

"What," Honda asked, pushing against the blond's back somewhat, "What's going on?"

"...He jus' switched out."

"What?" The blond was quickly pushed down further as the other two looked over, eyes wide as 'Yugi' and his 'date' continued on some sort of unheard conversation. "...Why the hell would Yugi set up a date between Anzu and his other?" Honda asked incredulously, staring. "I mean... Yugi's been after Anzu since..."

Since before they even knew him, that was for sure! "Well," Otogi said with a shrug, the others momentarily turning their attention to the teen. "You have to admit, he hasn't been out that much unless you count Tanabata..."

Given that they had no clue about the spirit thing of course... Because the other Yugi was all over that, not to mention any other time he'd seen him.

"Not to mention," he trailed off, frowning. "He's actually been looking a little depressed..." Depressed? How was he..?

Katsuya blinked confusedly at that, before turning to look at their 'targets' and tensing as the couple they were watching began moving their way. Ohhhh shit! "Gh-! Quick, hide," he hissed, the three ducking away into a series of bushes as Anzu and Yugi both passed by. A few short rustling noises hit the air as they poked through the leaves, a few holding their breath lest one of the two spot them. Okay...

One second...

Two...

Three... Katsuya looked out from the leaves, letting out a long and relieved sigh. "Phew..." Alright the blond mentally muttered, shaking himself. Deal with the depression later. For now... "Alrigh', time t' follow them," he whispered, slowly skipping ahead while keeping a fair distance between them.

"Right... It looks like they're just heading into the starbucks across the street," Otogi said somewhat quietly, the three teens carefully keeping to the crowds as they avoided the couple's sight. They watched as the couple took a seat near the window, silent for a few moments before Otogi turned back. "...You're oddly good at tailing people," he stated, eyebrows raised.

Briefly Honda and Katsuya exchanged looks at that, their friend merely shaking his head rather than waiting for an answer.

"...Something tells me this is another thing that I'm better off not knowing..."

"Y-Yeah," Katsuya muttered with a cough, shaking his head. "Something like that..." Lots of things really...

"You know," Honda muttered, the trio slowly making their way closer to the cafe, "I didn't notice with Yugi's uniform jacket on earlier..." But? The teen shook himself as they looked through the window of the Starbucks from behind another bush and pillar before continuing with raised eyebrows, "But he's wearing a lot of chains..."

"Well, besides what I saw when he came to... My store," Otogi said after a short awkward pause, shrugging the point off fairly easily, "We don't really know what sort of fashion sense he has..." Huh...

Supposed so... Katsuya tilted his head somewhat, squinting as they looked through the window. "...Looks kinda weird on 'm act'lly..."

"You think?" Otogi asked, blinking. He turned back, eyebrows raised as he again shrugged. "Personally it seems fairly fitting..." ...Kay. Um...

"Damn it what the hell are they saying?" Honda muttered, narrowing his eyes as the two beside him turned from their conversation. Heh? Katsuya looked back in the window, squinting somewhat as he studied the couple. Honda had a point, what were they s-

_'He's worried about you,'_ he could hear Anzu saying, despite the fact that her mouth wasn't moving. Katsuya grew tense, stiffening just briefly before attempting to calm himself even as he heard the woman's voice in his mind.

_'About me?_ ' the Other Yugi responded, despite Anzu's own mouth moving at the time. The blond momentarily ignored his friend's mutterings of not hearing anything, swallowing back a slight shout as the 'conversation' continued. ' _When he hides things like this under a uniform jacket?_ ' he asked, gesturing to his outfit only in the blond's mind and not in reality. _'...We both have a long road ahead of us_ ,' he continued, Anzu again stopping her mouth from moving as Katsuya frowned. Now his friend was gesturing to his outfit.

But why...

_'We both need to figure out who we are,_ ' the teen continued rather seriously, ' _And what we're going to do..._ ' What... What was this...

The blond shook himself, staring as the two before him continued to talk, words again 'hidden' from him. Alright, so he couldn't hear anything again but... What were they talking about?

Hell, he thought with a fairly cold feeling, did he even hear that or...

He continued to pale, biting his lip. Flashes of what was going to happen in front of him was all he ever had, something he'd mostly gotten used to by this point. So how...

"Hey, I think they're moving," Otogi muttered, jarring Katsuya back to reality as the blond swallowed. Moving again... "Come on," he added with a slightly louder tone, moving from the bushes as the couple they were following walked out of the building. "Let's go! It looks like they're cutting through the park..!"

A-Ah! "Right!" Katsuya said with another nod, the three hurriedly following after as they pushed through the crowd. "Right..."

Probably be best to just forget about 'weird crap' for today. "Hey, is Anzu holding a bagel?" Honda muttered, the trio continuing toward the park. Katsuya blinked, looking forward the the small bit of food in Anzu's hand.

...It looked like a bagel at least. _'Hey,_ ' a voice muttered in his mind, the blond instantly recognizing it as Anzu's. _'Let's try feeding some pigeons...'_

Yugi turned at that, nodding despite his real counterpart doing no such thing. ' _Erm... Okay..._ '

' _It's easy,_ ' Anzu continued, ripping the bagel in half, ' _Just take some bits of bagel...'_ Hang on, that meant they were both going to turn around before th-

Oh shit. "Gh- stop moving, stop moving," the blond hissed, pulling the two beside him into a bush as Anzu and Yugi both abruptly came to a stop. The couple paused for a moment at the edge of the small park, turning as the loud rustling came from behind before coming to an abrupt stop. Nothing, it was nothing...

"Ow!"

"Oi, Jonouchi," Honda hissed, only to get a finger in his face.

"Shhh!" The teens glared at each other, before Otogi shook himself and looked out through the bushes to see if they would be caught or not. So far nothing...

"Sheesh," Honda muttered, following his friend's gaze and scowling. "No need to be that rough..." Katsuya rolled his eyes, merely looking around the tree amid the bushes and swallowing fairly nervously as the two before him began repeating the very lines he'd already heard. Again and again...

Hell if he wanted he could mouth each word perfectly right now. "Well," he muttered, swallowing back another slight panic attack, "It w's either that 'r get caught..." There was no answer to that, Katsuya not moving his eyes from the two before them as they fell silent. Speaking of caught...

The blond blinked, stifling a laugh as Yugi abruptly started waving off a few approaching birds. "A-Ah, they... Really like you Yugi," Anzu said with a somewhat nervous smile, the teen in question still holding the bagel as the numerous pigeons began flocking toward him. Yugi for his part was trying and failing (badly) at keeping his composure under the assault.

This quickly degraded into frantic waving, with Anzu looking over rather nervously. "Ah... Are you..."

"Gh-" The teen continued to ignore Anzu, instead tossing the bagel away as birds continued to heckle him. "Wh-What's with these birds!" Who knew, but Anzu was certainly right.

They _loved_ him. "Oh this is good," Otogi whispered with a laugh, staring with a dumbfounded grin in place.

"Is..." Honda choked, shaking himself as he watched the pigeons swarm their friend. "...Are some of those things sitting on his hair..?"

"Gh... Hahaha..." Katsuya hurriedly turned back from the sight and bit his tongue, ducking down in the bush lest they get caught. "Aw man... I c'n only guess a' Yug's expression from inside that puzzle..." He sighed, still grinning before turning to Otogi with a frown as he watched the teen dig around in his pockets for something. "...Oi," he muttered, "What're y' doin..?"

He turned, pulling out his phone and carefully aiming it through the bush without looking back at the others. "What does it look like?" he whispered, Honda and Katsuya both staring at him blankly for a few moments.

"Hey, you aren't planning on..."

"Lets see," Otogi muttered, looking at the screen. "Video... Reco-"

"Oi!" The teen was quickly tackled to the ground, birds abruptly fleeing the scene as shouts filled the air. Ignoring the coughing that Honda was doing as he tackled the other in the group of three, Katsuya reached forward in an attempt to grab the device from Otogi as the teen held it as far out as possible.

"G-Gimme th' phone!"

"What th-" The teen struggled, attempting to worm his way out with a scowl. "Get off me!"

"Ahhhh... Guys?" Honda muttered, the teen looking over the bushes before turning back. The others continued to ignore him, Katsuya continuing to struggle at snatching the phone from the one beneath him.

"Give it, give it!"

"What? No! No way-"

"Guys!" The two turned, watching as Honda hurriedly fled across the number of bushes at the side before sharing fearful glances. Alright if Honda ran off at that speed...

Shit. "Gh... Go go go go go!" Katsuya hissed rather loudly, scrambling up from the ground before diving under a nearby bench as the two that they were following walked over.

A few moments passed, the sound of bushes being stepped over and birds settling down meeting their ears as Katsuya spotted his best friend's legs pass by the bench.

"...What was that?" Yugi muttered, looking around with a frown as the others held their breath. The teen continued to walk closer, Katsuya biting his lip as he edged back. "I could have sworn I heard someone..."

"It was probably just a few kids playing around," Anzu said with a shrug, shaking her head as she moved past the bench. "It's nothing..."

Exactly... Nothing...

So please don't look under the bench...

Her friend nodded somewhat hesitantly, before turning as the woman pointed off to a row of streets beyond the small park. "Come on," she said with a laugh, pulling Yugi over. "Let's hit the town! Maybe you'll find something you like!"

There was a short pause, an uncomfortable silence filling the air before their friend nodded and moved past the bench again. "...Right... Lets go."

As the two slowly made their way off, Katsuya had to let out a long sigh of relief. "Hahhhh... Damn that w's close," he muttered, collapsing to the ground as Otogi looked over his phone.

"...Damn," he muttered, folding it back over and stowing it in his pocket. "Nothing..."

The other two shook their heads, small grins coming in place now that the situation was over and done with. Hahaha...

Good.

* * *

After the close call at the park things had progressed far more safely, with Katsuya and the others keeping at least twenty feet or so between themselves and their 'targets'. As Anzu had said, she and Yugi did indeed hit the town... Or at least attempted to, given that so far each store they went to was only 'browsed' a few moments before moving on to the next one.

So far, not counting any glances at windows before heading for the next crosswalk, they'd gone into a CD store... And bought nothing. Then they went to a few clothing stores, likely at Anzu's request, all of which were actually tuned fairly closely to whatever interests tied into Yugi's current outfit...

And bought nothing. They even went into a theatre at one point, Anzu having pointed at the main movie advertised and gleefully pulling Yugi in only to walk out two minutes later with a bored looking expression on Yugi's face, and an exasperated one on Anzu's. It didn't take a genius to realize that in the end...

They bought nothing.

Until now.

At a card store.

Which Yugi had (with a barely hidden smirk to top it off) apparently not seen before and so...

_'I wonder what's inside... We should go look!_ ' Ahahaha...

"Man," Otogi muttered, the three teens sitting on a bench a short distance away from the store. It was probably only the fact that Otogi 'happened' to decide to bring food along with him that either of them were still there. Though now... "They've been in there for at least two hours..."

"Aghhh... Should have brought my psp," Honda groaned under his breath, yawning somewhat as he slumped forward.

Food was gone.

Time to complain.

Katsuya shrugged, leaning against the bench arm with a bored expression in place as he looked across the street. "It... Can't be tha' much longer righ..?" The other two turned, staring somewhat incredulously in response.

"It's Yugi... The _other_ Yugi," Otogi clarified with a frown as he pointed. "In a card shop."

"Which really figures," Honda muttered quickly, gaining a look from Katsuya in response. "What?"

"Oiii," he grumbled, sitting up with a frown. "What's wrong with cards..."

"Nothing," he said flippantly, shrugging as he crossed his arms. "I just find it's all you and Yugi ever talk about..." H-Heh!

He paled, gritting his teeth as he protested. "Th-That ain't true!"

"Oh yeah," Honda challenged, eyebrows raised. "Name one time in the last week that you talked about something other than-"

"Hey!" The pair turned as Otogi moved from the bench, jerking his head to the side as he continued moving down the street. "They're moving again."

E-Eh! They blinked, before catching a glimpse of the two crossing the road ahead to turn down another.

Shit! "Ri-Right!" The others stood and took off behind the targets, Katsuya again taking the lead as they continued to follow Anzu and Yugi downtown. Lets see... It looked like Anzu had effectively given up on taking Yugi to any other stores given that she wasn't even looking at them as they moved by. And given how long they were in the last one, she was likely avoiding any game and card stores...

"Hey, isn't that the arcade?" Honda whispered, the trio looking around a pillar as the couple entered the open building.

"Yeah, it is," Katsuya muttered. The blond frowned somewhat, moving around the pillar in question after a few moments when he was sure no one was leaving. "When was th' las' time Anzu went to an' arcade though..?"

Otogi shrugged, before crossing his arms and leaning against the pillar. "Don't ask me," he muttered, "I've only known you lot for a few months..."

"Didn't she constantly turn us down for her job," Honda added, the teens recalling the last time they'd offered an 'invitation' to the arcade.

"Yeah," Katsuya said in response, "How'd that las' one end again..?"

The teen shrugged, shaking his head. "I think she's still working at that engraving store actually..."

"Come to think," Otogi muttered, eyes trained on the arcade, "I did see her there when I went to get a new earring..."

The other two turned to look at Otogi as the teen said this, both blinking. "Oh yeah... Never noticed that y' had a new one 'f those..." He knew he had that die but this one looked more like...

A different die? Otogi rolled his eyes, smirking as he turned back from the arcade briefly. "That's because 'earrings' are on the list of things against school protocol. Now..."

They looked back at the building, only to hurriedly duck back behind the pillar as Anzu skipped out with a loud shout with Yugi behind her. "WHOO! Man! That was fun!" the woman shouted cheerfully, her partner merely looking at the woman with a somewhat dumbfounded smile. "Let's go to..."

...And there went the volume. But wowwww... Loud enough? The three turned around the pillar, looking at the couple before trading looks in the resulting silence.

"Does... Anyone else feel like we missed something?" Otogi asked after a few moments, looking back at the other two as they continued to disappear down the street.

Katsuya shrugged, shaking his head. "Er..."

"YES," Honda said flatly, rubbing his head as well. Right... Katsuya coughed, before looking back around the building and charging ahead.

"Oi, we need t' move if we wanna keep up wi' these guys..." The other two nodded, quickly joining with their friend as the blond took off down the street. Despite the crowd that was building it was fairly easy to tell where the two were at the moment. "Look's like Anzu's sick 'f down town fun," he noted, watching as the couple crossed another street before turning onto a more empty one.

"Or something," Honda muttered, looking around his friend at the targets. "...Hey," he continued, frowning as they continued down the road, "Does this street seem familiar?"

"It's the route the bus would normally take to the museum," Otogi muttered, also frowning as he glanced back behind them. "I thought Anzu and lived on the other end of the city though..." Honda nodded, the three teens slowly following behind their friends as the buildings continued to 'thin out'.

"Yeah, just a few blocks away from my house actually," he muttered, a frown coming over his own face. "So why..." The museum...

The blond tensed somewhat as their friends again turned the corner, staring. "O-Oi," he muttered, eyes wide. "They're going into the museum!"

"Eh?" The others turned, following Katsuya's gaze as they spotted the couple walk into the immense building that stood across the street from them. Now why...

"Oh come _on_ ," Honda moaned, leaning back against the wall at the side. "The museum doesn't close for another four hours, they'll be in there until the last minute!"

"Wait... Anzu's into ancient history?" Otogi asked with raised eyebrows, looking at the others blankly.

"Naw, but Yugi is," Katsuya answered, before moving toward the museum.

Honda blinked, turning as the blond moved forward. "H-Hey, where the hell are you going!" he 'shouted', somehow keeping his voice down enough in case their 'targets' hadn't yet gone inside.

The blond smirked, turning to the two behind him with a grin. "What does it look like?" he answered with a laugh, "I'm followin' them! It ain't like th' arcade, there's plenty 'f space t' put b'tween 's in there!" Hell, it was probably as big as the school.

At this the others traded looks, before Otogi gave a relaxed shrug and followed along. "Well," he muttered calmly, shaking his head, "It's better than waiting outside..."

"Gh- If we get caught..."

"Then it'll probably be your own fault," the teen countered, looking back at Honda with a smirk, "You're the one shouting."

"Otogi..."

Katsuya sighed, shaking his head as they went over to the front desk in the lobby. "By th' way, I ain't payin' for you guys," he said with a grin, stopping behind another pillar to wait for their 'targets' to get their own passes and move on. "So if y' didn' bring anythin', y' might as well find a spot outside!"

Honda blinked, tensing somewhat. "Wait... What!"

"Well," the one beside him muttered, pulling out his wallet, "I have enough for myself..."

"Gh- Otogi!"

The teen turned, staring at his friend with a frown. "It's 1000 yen," he muttered, "You can afford that..."

Honda flushed, digging his hands in his pockets before turning away. "I would if I'd brought my wallet..." Huh...

At this the others blinked, trading glances before Otogi sighed. "Fine," he growled, pulling another handful of cash from the wallet. "You're paying me back when we get back home though..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Wait, they were still in the same house?

Katsuya turned from where he was still watching Yugi and Anzu, only momentarily glancing away from his friends to track when they finally entered the museum proper. Waiting a few more moments before he and the others moved over to enter the line, the blond turned to frown.

"I thought you were movin' back with yer dad once he was discharged from th' hospital," the blond muttered, staring at Otogi somewhat blankly as the teen shifted somewhat.

"Yeah... About that," Honda said with a cough, also shifting uncomfortably with the topic. There was a long wave of silence, Otogi turning away with a somewhat distant look before answering.

"Dad was determined... 'Unfit for care'," the teen said somewhat quietly, the tone greatly contrasting from his usual confident air. Another awkward silence settled over the group, their friend shifting again as he continued. "I'm looking for an apartment for now..."

"...Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"Eh... ...Right... Ah..." Katsuya turned, coughing as the line moved. Awkward, awkward... "Sorry abou'..."

"Just change the subject," Otogi muttered darkly, twirling a set of dice in his fingers as he moved past the others. Where did he- "A pass for my friend and myself please," the teen continued as he handed his money to the front, gesturing for Honda to join him and grab their museum passes. Pushing the subject as far behind them as possible to follow after the others instead seemed like a great idea now.

"Ah, an' one f'r me," Katsuya added as he came to the front himself, mentally shaking himself again as he handed over his own money.

"Alright," the sales person stated politely, handing them each a ticket before bowing her head politely. "Enjoy your visit!"

And they were off. "Okay," Honda said with a stretch, sending his ticket through the machine as the others followed behind into the museum's main exhibit hall. "So where do you think they headed first..?"

Otogi smirked, already walking ahead of his friends as they left the 'main entrance'. "Ancient Egypt," he said with a shrug, briefly turning to the others as they walked behind him. "Where else?"

"Now that I think about it," Katsuya muttered, hands stowed in his jacket pockets as they started off down the artifact lined hall, "Yugi's been going on abou' th' exhibit ever since it showed up in th' paper..."

"Yeah... But didn't he tell Bakura he wouldn't go until whatever he was working on was done?" Honda muttered, turning to the others.

The two shrugged, shaking their heads in response. "I don't know... What was it that Bakura was working on exactly?" Otogi whispered, the three coming to a stop outside the Egyptian exhibit lest they run into Anzu and Yugi.

"Ehh... Some sort 'f display t' go with th' rest 'f the tablets an' stuff," Katsuya answered, momentarily curious himself.

"Maybe a scale model of something," Honda added, leaning against a blank space in the wall. "I don't know..."

"Hello."

"HAHH!" The teens jumped as a woman approached them from the exhibit room, Katsuya momentarily growing pale as he recognized the woman Seto had met a few months prior. What was her name, Ishizu? Y-Yeah... That was it... "A-Ahh... You..."

"You... Aren't you the woman from the paper?" Honda muttered, Otogi as well staring as he nodded an affirmative to himself. "You're the Chief of..."

All at once whatever the two beside him were saying was drowned out by the sound of his own pulse, blood rushing through his ears as he swallowed back his panic. As Ishizu looked forward at them it appeared that two hands came from the necklace around her throat, two flat and alien hands resembling fragments of galaxies and empty space... With the eyes on the palms facing forward, hair thin limbs reached toward them...

With fingers as long as an unsharpened pencil diving directly into the foreheads of the two beside him mere seconds later.

Katsuya grew pale, swallowing back a shout as he looked at the two from the corner of his eye, the both of them merely staring forward at Ishizu in confusion. No reaction. There was no reaction there were hands with eyes on them in their heads doing god knew what and yet...

The hands retreated.

Sound returned despite his panic, leaving a rush of cold in its place and the woman before him continued to stare at them in silence. A frown...

Briefly she looked at him with a frown, before averting her gaze and speaking. "...You two," she said calmly, eyes moving from Honda to Otogi and not once stopping to pause on the blond between them. "...If I were you," she finally said after a moment, ignoring the pale and fearful expressions of the three, "I would leave before your friends catch you..."

"W-what..." The teens watched as the woman moved away without another word, before slowly turning back to Katsuya. "J-Jonouchi," Honda muttered, voice trembling as he struggled to keep the tone down, "She was definitely looking at me and Otogi... Why the hell wasn't she talking to you?"

"H-How th' fuck would I know," the blond muttered in a panic, swallowing again as he looked at the others. Damn it damn it damn it, this wasn't... It wasn't... "I ain't her!"

"Maybe so," Otogi said calmly, somehow managing to keep his composure despite the situation, "But didn't you say that Kaiba had a meeting with that same woman..?" Well, he did say 'Chief Officer' but...

Um...

He'd never said...

"So that tablet," they abruptly heard from the room at the side, footsteps echoing through the halls.

"Shit," Honda muttered before Katsuya could answer, looking around the pillar with wide eyes. "They're coming this way..!"

"There's no room behind this pillar," Otogi hissed, stumbling back with a swallow. "Run, run!"

Honda nodded hurriedly with the suggestion, barrelling down the hall behind the pillars with Otogi just a hair ahead of him.

"O-OI," Katsuya hissed, reaching out as he tripped back from the side of the pillar, "Wait f-" The blond tensed, hurriedly pulling himself back behind the structure as Anzu and Yugi's footsteps came closer. Sh-Shit, no time to hide..! This pillar was barely as wide as he was, it-

Wait...

The blond paled, eyes widening again as he stared at the wall.

...It _was_ only big enough for him to hide behind. If Honda and Otogi hadn't run off...

Katsuya stared at the wall for a moment longer, before looking off to the side as Anzu and Yugi both vanished down the hall. Alright. Two seconds...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Why didn't Ishizu give him the same warning Katsuya wondered, slowly stepping out from behind the pillar. The blond swallowed, looking out down the hall with a confused frown. Why...

For some reason, the first thing that came to mind was that stupid dream, with the creature that bore the same arms he'd seen mere moments before. _'I can't discern your future,'_ it had said, the voice hovering clearly in the back of his mind. ' _...Or your past.'_ That...

"Th' tauk..." Again he swallowed, before slowly turning to look at the room that both Ishizu's meeting and Yugi's 'date' took place in. There it was, open to the public and yet void of any other people. So just what was it in there that was so important?

He walked forward somewhat hesitantly, looking back briefly before turning back to the room once again with a frown. What was it that had Seto storm out of the room in as aggravated a mood, while leaving Yugi completely calm... Possibly relieved, coming out? That was the air he got at least...

Katsuya slowly walked into the room, looking around a brief moment as he frowned. There was almost nothing in this room he noted, glancing at the walls around him. A roped off door to the side, and at the end... Two tablets, sealed off by glass. The blond moved closer, blinking a few times as he looked over the first. Huh...

"'Xodia," he muttered, looking at the top of the carved tablet with mild surprise. Each limb carefully carved in the stone pentacle, unreadable hieroglyphs at the side... With countless other monsters carved beneath, the blond noted, staring. "Skull demon, feral imp..." A bunch more that he couldn't recognize completely... Wow. It was one thing to hear the whole thing about monsters coming from tablets from Sugoroku but it was another to see it in person. Hell, he knew about the whole 'inspired by Egypt' deal with the cards but...

Now that they were right there... Well. Damn.

The blond turned to the next tablet, briefly wondering what other monsters he would find only to freeze the moment he glanced over it. W-Wait... That was-

"Y-Yugi..!" Hair and all... And across from him was... Seto? He crouched down somewhat, moving closer to the glass as he stared with wide eyes. Hard to tell with the 'hat' that the one carving was wearing but...

There was no doubt about it.

"It's Yugi... An' Seto-chan," he muttered, standing up and shaking himself as he looked over the robed figures. He shook himself, eyes passing over over a small label at the bottom. ' _This tablet, dated to 1500 B.C. in approximation_ ,' it began, ' _Depicts a never before seen depiction of three of Egypt's most well known gods, as well as a Pharaoh and his Priest wielding monsters of some kind..._ ' Katsuya paused for a moment, looking back near the top of the tablet and blinking. Three gods..?

His eyes glanced over the three 'cards', before dropping back to the plaque with a mental shrug. Eh...

Not like he knew their names...

' _Whether or not the two depicted are fighting alongside or against each other is unknown, but the Pharaoh shown is as of yet the only king of the eighteenth dynasty without a name. Curiously,_ ' it continued, the blond blinking a few times as he read the next part, ' _The Priest as well is unknown at this point, having disappeared shortly after the reign of the pharaoh was succeeded by (for the first time in a number of years) a queen by the name of..._ ' Wait...

A queen? Katsuya frowned, tilting his head as he looked at the clearly defaced 'cartouche' on the tablet. Well, whatever. Still, it was weird...

But it felt like he should know what was there... Not understand it but just _know_...

" _Kuri..?_ "

"N-Nyhhh!" The blond jumped, stumbling back as he turned to the side and gaped. Okay... Okay there were some things he was used to by this point, but this was not it! "E-Ehh..! K-Kuri..." He choked, blood draining from his face as he rubbed his eyes. "Kuriboh!"

The small fuzzball blinked, Katsuya looking from the monster to the hall outside the room, and back to the monster. Of all things... His 'wish' for Tanabata was being completely screwed with wasn't it! " _Kuriiii~_ " Katsuya continued to stare at the creature, coughing somewhat as it blinked back. Duel monsters... He was...

Seeing duel monsters... Outside a game...

That was bad enough on a table damn it!

Wait. The blond frowned, watching as the monster bobbed up and down mid-air. This... This wasn't kuriboh, it was...

"...A winged kuriboh?" And it was black too, not brown, what was with that...

The kuriboh blinked a few times as it ignored the blond's confusion, continuing to 'purr' little 'kuri' sounds before it floated over to the roped off door at the side. " _Kuri-kuriii_ ," it hummed, closing its eyes over for a moment. Yeaaaaah... Oh hell, he must have finally lost it but...

"Ahhh... You... Wan' me t' follow yah?" he asked hesitantly, taking a few steps toward the door and looking back around the room. Okay...

At the risk of looking like a complete moron...

There were a few cameras but none facing the door so. The blond looked back at the kuriboh, watching as it bobbed up and down before vanishing into the dark room with a shout. " _Kurii!_ "

"Hahhh..." Okay, here he went...

Katsuya stepped over the rope, looking around the room and squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dark. "Alrigh' then," he muttered, eyes drifting up to the ceiling before turning back to his guide. "So what is it that y' wan-" He froze, stiffening as the small kuriboh vanished from sight with as much warning as the 'Other Yugi' earlier on. "Gh... What th' hell..!" G-Gone! He stumbled back somewhat, before jumping as he bumped into a large stand. "Gha! Shit!" What what what...

He turned, blinking a few times as he made out the object in the dark. Okay. It was...

A set of swords? "Heh..?" The blond continued to blink, looking at the tag below the glass encased blades. "A pair 'f scimitar likely used by th' soldiers 'f Egypt 1500 t' 2000 y'rs 'B.C.'," he read off under his breath, "Found buried b'neath th' sands south 'f what was formerly a capital 'f Egypt..."

O...Kay..?

...Why south of the capital and not _in_ the capital though? Katsuya frowned, shaking himself as he looked around the exhibit. Alright, so that was weird, but to the more important point...

Why was all of this roped off exactly? There was more in here than in the last room, possibly triple even. A few weapons, what looked like pots and things... A few pictures of carvings too, which was interesting he supposed. This was more Yugi's angle...

(And yet here he was...)

The blond made his way toward the middle, frowning somewhat as he looked at a large picture standing around a 'pillar'. Okay... That was a little weirder. "What th' hell..." Dark...

He could barely see what it was, but-

"G- Ghahh!" He stumbled backward, breathing heavily as he shook the image of the picture from his mind. Damn it why did things like this have to happen when he got too close? Mummies... All stacked and wrapped around each other in some kind of pile, like... Like...

Hihhh!

A large plaque beneath the pillar/photo caught his eye, the blond swallowing back his already constant shudders as he attempted to read what it said through the dark. "Th... Th' massacre," he began reading, biting his lip as his eyes glanced over the picture again. "Th' massacre 'f..."

' _The Massacre of 'Kul Ealanaan' (Arabic; 'All In Public'), named by Egyptian archaeologists due to its apparent tragedies is a ruinous site recently discovered in the middle of the desert wastes south west of Cairo Egypt. Though the massacre was originally thought to have been the result of a mass suicide due to the location of a full 99 corpses in what appeared to be an underground temple, it was recently affirmed by the presence of foreign weaponry that it was in fact a mass-slaughter. Whether or not the execution of an entire village was for just or murderous causes is unknown,_ ' the plaque went on to read, Katsuya going fairly green at the thought.

_'But researchers are considering the find of Kul Ealanaan a rare gem, due to the extremely well preserved state of the corpses found. The corpses, which were found buried beneath both temple ruins and what appeared to be a large statue of a sarcophagus, were compressed and left sheltered from wind and heat, preserved so well that the hair colour and facial features of each mummy has been left in tact..._ ' Which... He could see very, very well, and did they have to have pictures! _'At this time,_ ' the blond continued to read, despite mental cries for him to leave, ' _It is unknown what caused the execution of the villagers of 'Kul Ealanaan', but evidence shows that in addition to adult women and men there are children ranging from infancy to adulthood in the pile, with all injuries having apparently been inflicted with a knife rather than a sword, leading experts to believe that the slaughter was done in the act of a ritual sacrifice..._ ' Alright. That was it.

Screw curiosity, he... ...He couldn't read any more, if he wanted to keep anyone from knowing he was there by not throwing up right now. If he wanted to keep himself from losing the little sleep he got from his summer work schedule. And..."Gh... Mng..."

His vision had adjusted completely by now. The picture before him had more than just faces.

A pile of corpses, limbs locked around the others by the weight of the bodies on top... To preserve the bodies archaeologists had dug around and to the bottom rather than attempting to move the corpses, something he wasn't sure how he knew but...

Almost a hundred faces held in permanent expressions of fear, distorted by time, weight... "This..."

"What are you doing here."

"H-Haa _ah_!" Katsuya turned, swallowing back a panicked shout and brushing back the hair that was stuck to his now sweaty forehead before drawing further back. "B... Bakura..!" Right there...

And the ring..!

Bakura narrowed his eyes, stepping forward into the dark as his hair stood on end. "Again," he muttered, standing by the doorway as Katsuya grew even paler than his near white panicked complexion. Despite the lack of lighting in the room the golden ring around Bakura's neck could be seen clearly, reminding the blond just how dangerously he and the others- Bakura included- were playing. The gold gleamed in some invisible light, the eye staring forward... "What do you think you're doing here Jonouchi?" Bakura pressed, pulling Katsuya's attention forward.

The blond swallowed, slowly attempting to regain his breath as he moved away from the 'stand' behind him. "I... I... I w's jus'... Jus' leavin' Bakura," he muttered, still holding back shudders as the picture behind him stood clearly in his mind.

"Yes, you were weren't you?" the albino stated coldly, crossing his arms as Katsuya continued to move around him. "But what _brought_ you here?" he continued to ask, eyes narrowed darkly, "When the room is clearly off limits?"

Nothing but a vanishing kuriboh that kept on reminding him just how over the edge he really was...

"Nothin'," he muttered, eyes drifting back into the room despite all reason. Face after face after face after- "I..."

Bakura narrowed his eyes further, stepping to the side to allow Katsuya to slowly move around him. "Never mind it," he muttered, frowning as he looked at the blond oddly. "Just leave..." Um...

Okay..?

...Why wasn't he sealing his soul in a figurine or something? There was...

There was no way that Yugi was right about this guy right..?

...Right..? "Y-Yeah," he finally muttered, stepping back into the other room as he narrowly avoided tripping over the rope. "...Will do," he continued nervously.

And slowly, slowly he stepped further out, eyes fixed on Bakura as the albino turned toward the darkness of the room he'd just been in... Watching as Bakura made no move to turn back, to add anything, to do anything...

And finally he bolted out to the halls, barrelling past the statues, the tablets and anything even remotely Egyptian in theme, eyes wide and skin pale as he attempted to contain his panic and failed.

What was all this he thought as he left the museum, the sky still almost as bright as it had been a few hours prior. An idling crowd appeared to be wandering around outside, paying the blond no mind as he moved, stumbling over his own feet in an attempt to outrun his own thoughts. What was this?

Katsuya collapsed against a building's support beam as he stopped for breath, willing himself to not look back at the museum as he held his head. God damn it...

Bakura had left him alone completely, hadn't even turned around to make sure he was leaving. Just stared into the room... And just thinking back brought that picture to mind.

It was one thing when he'd just thought it was a pile of mummies, but the more he thought about it, and the plaque that went with it, he...

"... _Mrnnnn._.?"

"H-Hah!" The blond jumped again, a few people turning momentarily but nonetheless brushing it off as Katsuya calmed himself down. Okay...

Okay, what... What the...

"...Oh hell," he muttered, watching as a small dinosaur looking thing stared up. What... What was it, a raptor, or...

The two stared for a few long moments more before the creature hopped off with a 'shrug', charging through two or three people before vanishing from sight to leave Katsuya burying his head in his hands with a groan. God damn all of this!

"Aaaaaa _aaauuuuuuugggghhhhh_..."

Why did normalcy hate him so much!

* * *

Settling into bed the next morning after a good long security 'night shift', he really did try to forget most of what happened the day before. Getting back for dinner that evening, most conversation was turned to things that both had little to do with what Mokuba knew he'd done (namely stalk Yugi and Anzu all day) and with whatever was likely to get a comment from Seto.

Namely cards. And while he was thankful for the fact that he'd had an excuse to not attempt to talk his way around what he'd done, well... In the end he had to admit, doing that made for a fairly empty conversation, especially since when he asked Mokuba what happened that day he'd gotten more of an... 'Eh'.

An 'eh' that came with a largely excited expression that was quickly _replaced_ by an 'eh' expression.

Given that Seto had a fairly interesting look on her own face that he couldn't quite find a word to describe, he had a feeling that he was missing something really really big there. Thinking back to what happened earlier was not something he was enjoying, piles of mummies and weird little ghosts resembling duel monster cards especially.

Also that weird thing with Ishizu's necklace. He was having trouble getting that out of his head, even with hours and hours of security feeds playing in front of him through the evening, before his shift ended in the semi-early hours of the morning to allow him sleep. He'd mostly got over it. But...

Compared to all that happened earlier the day before, 'waking up' in the usual black space where the particularly weird dreams would go on was...

Not... Fun...

"Damn it," Katsuya muttered, narrowing his eyes as he continued to lay back on the ground. He'd had what... 7, 8 hours of 'peace' just watching security feeds?

Why now?

"This just isn' my day..." Both of them. Really not his-

' _Who has to die this time?!_ ' someone whispered in his ear, the blond's eyes widening as he sat up. W-What?

The woman's voice echoed through his ears, angered and confused, accusing even as it rasped around him.

' _Who has to die, answer me!_ ' There was nothing to be seen around him though, nothing but darkness as a woman shouted...

Only to be answered with a voice that both was and wasn't his, both was and wasn't years ahead and behind, a voice that had the blood drain from his face instantly.

' _Everyone._ '

And the screams began, first as a mutter and then as a loud and wailing series of cries that were literally beside him in all but physical form. Flames arose in his vision, blinding Katsuya as the teen jumped back, arm thrown up to shield his eyes. "G-Gh..! What th-"

_'AAAAUUUHHH!_ ' Who was screaming? ' _No... No don't do this please..!'_ Who...

Was that a _child_?

' _WHY! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?_ '

Shadows rose in the flames with each cry, Katsuya staring in horrified silence as the event played out before him. The blinding light from the flames was nothing, not even something to blink at as the shadows one by one vanished into ashes. Mothers crying for their children... Children crying for their friends and families and men angrily vowing vengeance from the grave...

One after another after another after...

_'HELP US!_ ' the woman from before cried, Katsuya's eyes widening just briefly as he swallowed. _'HELP US SOMEONE PLEASE!'_ Why was all of this...

Why...

A sudden wave of cold passed behind the blond and slowly he turned around with wide eyes, frozen in place as he looked forward.

"H-Hah... Hahhh..."

Teeth the size of his entire arm met his gaze, set in a draconic maw with eyes resembling burning coals. Scales blended into the darkness completely on a 'face' that was easily the size of his bedroom, low growling coming from the monster's throat.

"Hah..."

'H̵e̸h̸e̶h̵e̸h̶e̶h̸e̷h̶e̴h̶e̴.̷.̶.̵' Not screaming... This thing was not screaming the way the others had and-

With a jolt the blond fell forward, screams caught in his throat as the world abruptly spun. Wind rushed past his face and stung his eyes, flames vanishing as he began a free-fall toward a wide open mouth that he'd been face to face with moments before.

And it continued to laugh.

'H̷̛̖͎̺̊ _Ả̵̘͚̭̼̿̂Ḧ̷̠̻͎́A̷̦͍͂̀̐H̸̥̙͔̘̊A̴̡̛̱͒̎Ḣ̵͉̆̌Â̸̢̿̐Ḫ̵̛Ā̷̮̝̇͗͘ͅ!̸̲̊͘_ ̷͖͠Ă̴̱̗͝ ̴̱̈́H̷̨͍̬̐̔Ủ̴̻̮N̵̢̩̤͉͌Ḏ̴͓̟̂̈́R̸̘͉͓͂͌̾͂E̵̤̻̺̓͐̀͜D̶͎͠ͅ ̶̠̜̆̽Ṡ̶̪̙͖Ơ̸͔͓̈́̒Ṳ̷̳̙́̄̈́Ľ̷̖̗̞͋̍͋Ș̴̲͑͌̐ ̵̧͎̫̝͂I̵͕̐͝S̴̳̺͕̺͑͊ ̶̖͈͚̈͌͌Ạ̷̦̈́̀̿͜Ḽ̷̢̌L̴̩͎̓͒͝͝ ̶̫̇͋̈́I̸̡̖̟̭̓̓̿ ̵̼̼͕͔͝N̴̛̺̣̦̻̈́Ě̸͔̳̋̾È̵͖̖͆̽̿D̵̢̢̦̂̋̉͝,̵̪͋́' it roared, opening its mouth wide and licking the sides of its teeth as the blond continued to fall. 'Ä̷̱̮̹͕́̐N̵͚̖͌̏͝ͅD̶̨̦͔̤̓͆͛̐ ̸͔̎̈̍̾A̷̟͈̘͚̾͘͠G̴̬͚̜̤̈́A̷̲̲͒̈́̂I̶̗̍͋̋N̷̩̊ ̵̩͈̇̃͂T̵̗̮̠̝̒͒H̷̙̘̫̆I̵̢͈̽̍̇̕S̸͔̉̌ ̵͍̭͋W̸̞̐̎͊͝O̶̱̝̓̿̚̚R̸̤̐̏̀L̸̟̳͇̻̾͌D̷͍̟͋ ̶͈̘̒̆Ï̶̗S̵̺̃ ̷͕̠͓͖͌M̵̤͈̤̘̅͛I̸̫̙͆N̵̡̺̝̍͑̚ͅË̴͕̱̫́̄̇̑ ̸̨̯̔͐͑T̴̝͠͠Ŏ̷̘̼̝̠̂̓̈ ̴͉̻̏̌̄͠R̶̲̦͍̓̉̿̚O̵͚͆A̶̢̭̳̹͋͊M̸̢͈̾̽!̸͇́̔̚'̵͓̯̣̲͑̋̏

Wake up wake up wake up...!

The eyes were coming closer, light from an unseen source gleaming off the beast's blackened teeth...

Wake up _wake up wake up_...

And still he couldn't move, couldn't scream, only listening with horror as the monster before him cackled maliciously, every detail of its mouth coming into his vision.

'H̶̨͕̞̃̔͐̈́̈́͘Ą̷̰͓̞͂̉̄̓H̵̯̬̖̃̍̋̄̈́̈́͌͜A̵̝̰̹͒̾̈́͗H̸͓̭̪̻̊̏͂A̵̬̭̣̞̓̽͘͝H̷͈͍͔̭̤̀A̸͖̮͋̌̓̋̎͝Ḣ̵̤̼̾͊͝A̵͖̟̫̲̐̅͌̓͜H̴̪̙̤̽̎̈́͊̂̉Á̵͍͙̒̚Ḧ̸̱̺̳̤̮́̏̇͋͑͝͝A̸̗̐̎́͠!̶̩̦̒͂͒̐͘'

Oh god please wake up _wake up wake up wake_...

Up.

"Hah!"

Katsuya's eyes flung open to meet with the ceiling above him as he struggled to breathe, choking with each inhale.

Thick, heated air hung around the room, making it even more difficult to breathe as he looked to the clock at the side. 12. N-Noon...

It was...

"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Why...

The blond swallowed, shaking his head again as he attempted to push the nightmare from his mind. Why why _why why why_ did he have to have scary ass dreams like THAT!

"Gh... Khah..." He shook his head, collapsing back on the pillow as he bit his lip. Noon...

No sense going back to bed now with the sun shining and the cicada's making their damn annoying 'nrrrrr' sounds. Alright then... That was it. Next time this shit happened he was...

He was...

...God damn it, he muttered mentally, closing his eyes and opening them again to stare at the sunlit ceiling.

What the hell was he supposed to do about this kind of crap?


	7. Level Values

Thinking back, trying to go back to sleep despite having already decided the effort would be pointless when it was already after twelve o'clock was probably a lost cause.

Hell, even trying to calm down after the nightmare hell he woke up out of was a lost cause. Even so the blond told himself, head firmly knocking against the shower wall in a slow and constant 'thud' against tiled wall, it would have been nice if it worked. If...

Either of the options worked really.

Katsuya sighed after a few more minutes of ice cold water raining down from above, turning the shower off and stumbling out into the bathroom. In the end no matter how many times he told himself that the 'morning's dream was 'just that'...

He couldn't convince himself otherwise. Sure it was just as bizarre as a 'normal' dream but...

Well...

"'M never goin' t' tha' museum again," he muttered under his breath, leaning against the sink's counter as he took rasping breaths. Never, never...

With all the sleeping he'd apparently done it felt more like he'd only closed his eyes for an instant. More things to add to the personal secrets from his friends. Speaking of his friends...

...Hadn't he told the others he'd join them at the pool today?

...At one?

Katsuya moved toward the bathroom door, looking somewhat blankly at the clock at the side before slamming his head against the doorway with a groan.

"Aaaaaaaughhh..." It was 12:30.

It would take him half an hour to run to the school from the house. Not counting the time it would take to grab toast or...

Something...

"Fuuuuuck..."

He stumbled into the room, the blond's eyes roaming over the carpet as he grumbled mentally to himself. Damn. Stupid nightmares...

Katsuya continued 'grumbling' before the thoughts came to a grinding halt, eyes landing on the paper he'd used to keep clay off the carpet while making Mokuba's present. Wait... Did that say...

He grabbed it from the ground, brushing off some of the dried dust and frowning. _'City to be closed off from all motor traffic midnight July 18th – 6:00PM July 19th..._ ' What the hell? "Wait..."

Katsuya narrowed his eyes, looking closer at the 'article'. "Does tha' say KaibaCorp?"

* * *

Despite how he felt for the moment, he managed to pull himself into his clothes and swimsuit, grab a towel, and run as fast as he could to the pool.

He wasn't even that late.

...He was still late though. "Katsuya-nii!" Mokuba shouted with a grin as the blond came toward the pool, the boy laughing as his friend smirked. "You made it!"

The smirk grew somewhat despite earlier discomfort, the others following Mokuba's gaze as their friend tossed his towel to the side.

"We were beginning to think you slept in," he muttered somewhat wryly, a slight wince on his face. Hahaha, if they only knew. Slept in... He wished!

Nonetheless the blond forced a smile to stay on his face, shrugging as he sat on the pool's edge and pushed the mental complaints from mind. "Eh," the blond muttered, shrugging. "I almos' did," he said with a grin, before turning to the rest of the group. Bakura was missing he noted... But aside from that, it looked like everyone was there. Anzu, Yugi, Honda... Otogi...

Which reminded him. "Oi... Mokuba?" he began, the boy in question blinking as Katsuya looked over. "Why did S-" Not slipping was so much easier when he wasn't actively talking about Seto to avoid awkward situations... "Why did Kaiba close off th' city f' th' 19th?"

The others shared quick looks with that, Yugi swimming over to join his friend at the side. Evidently aware of something he wasn't, most of them merely went back to their own conversations as the boy explained. "Ah... According to the 'other me'," Yugi began, pulling himself out of the water to take a seat with his friend, "Kaiba-san's holding a city wide tournament that day. So he closed off the traffic for safety." Oh, well that expla-

Wait what! The blond turned to Mokuba with raised eyebrows, the boy hurriedly throwing his hands up in defense. "H-Hey! I would have said something," he protested, "But you had work, and you'd have been late... And besides," the boy continued, crossing his arms and leaning on the edge of the pool, "I thought you'd have heard about it when... ...Er..."

He hurriedly coughed, turning away as Anzu raised her eyebrows from her seat on one of the lawn chairs. "Heard about it when?" she asked with a frown, "Yugi and I only saw Mai that day... And there weren't that many people," she added with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms.

Mokuba swallowed, continuing to pale as he drew away from the pool. "Ehhhh..." Pff!

"'D Still be nice t' know!" Katsuya shouted, pulling the others away from the subject as the blond scowled. Damn it! And of course Seto wouldn't say anything! Hell, it was no wonder she had that look on her face...

Wait.

Katsuya blinked, frown deepening as he realized another small point he was missing. "Wait, how's it 'city wide'?" he asked, looking back at the group. "Hell, I though' there w's only one duel box, an' wasn' that thing torn down?" To make room for an arena... Thing?

"Yeah, completely destroyed." Okay, so he was right with that then. Despite this however Mokuba grinned, Yugi doing the same as he continued. "About that though... I wanted to tell you today actually," he said with a nod, clambering out of the pool. "See, yesterday," he explained, "Nii-sama announced the release of the new duel disk..." Ooooooh! Then-

...Wait what?

"They're on sale starting tomorrow," Mokuba continued with a grin, leaning back somewhat. They...

They were...

"Wh- Seriously?" he said with a grin, before mutterings from where Honda and Otogi were sitting caught their attention.

"So that's why he was making such a big deal about it yesterday," the taller muttered, crossing his arms 'wisely'.

"I was wondering," Otogi added, nodding somewhat. "I guess that clears it up..."

"Waaaaiiit," Anzu muttered, turning on the teens with narrowed eyes yet again. "How did you two know about that?" she asked, the two both tensing under the gaze. "Didn't you both say you were apartment hunting?" Why the hell was Honda apartment hunting with Otog-

That reaaaaally wasn't the point was it.

The two teens both paled considerably, rendered silent as Yugi shook his head at the 'rant' his friends were likely about to be put through. Something told him that the 'other' was muttering an ' _I knew I heard someone'_ in the back of the guy's head right now...

Either way. "So," he muttered, opting to change the subject again. "Th' tournament uses th' duel disks?" Katsuya continued, staring up at the sky for a moment before grinning. "Heh.. Sounds fun!" Really fun! If they were anything like the ones that Kaiba had last time in terms of holograms... "You enterin' th' tournament Yugi?"

The boy nodded, grinning. "Of course," he said with a laugh, pulling his legs out of the water. "This is my chance to face Kaiba-san fair and square!" he continued seriously, briefly staring at the water before turning back to his friend. "Ah... But Jonouchi-kun," he added, biting his lip as the blond blinked. "You'll need to be careful..." Careful?

"Nyh?" Why would he need to be-

Mokuba as well nodded, continuing on as his friend frowned. "Yugi's right," he said with a frown, the boy crossing his arms. "Katsuya-nii, nii-sama put an 'ante' rule in the tournament," he explained, frown deepening. "All those participating need to have a rare card to offer, and if you lose..." There was a short bit of silence, the boy sharing a glance with Yugi before continuing. "Well...” Gh- A rare card ante...

"It... It has t' be _rare_..?" Ahhhh... Shit. Not good.

"Hey, you sure you want to risk that?" Honda asked from the side, Otogi still 'explaining' to Anzu how they knew about the tournament. Given the look on Otogi's face, they were failing horribly but...

Obviously Honda was more or less used to conversation while this happened.

"I mean... They'll take your 'Red-Eyes'," the teen continued, crossing his arms. "That's pretty much the only thing of value that you have..." Well, besides his dog tags yeah... Y-Yeah, it w-

"Wai- OI!" he shouted angrily, turning on his friend as the teen smirked. "Watch what you say abou' me!" Honda merely shrugged, watching as the blond continued to scowl. "'Sides," he muttered, crossing his arms. "This ain't too bad... Heh... This means I've got a shot at gettin' myself some rare cards!" he added with a laugh, a grin replacing the frown.

"Katsuya-nii," Mokuba muttered, shaking his head. "Don't be greedy..."

"Well in any case," Yugi's 'other' continued, appearing beside the boys on the pool's edge, "Before we can even think about entering this tournament, we'll need one of Kaiba's duel disks..." Ah, that's right...

Katsuya nodded despite being one of two who heard the comment, a few of the others raising their eyebrows in response. "Hey Mokuba?” the blond asked, the boy in question blinking. First things first... "How much are th' duel disks..?"

"How much?" Again Mokuba blinked, crossing his arms and frowning. "Hnnn... Around 25,000 yen I think...they came to a pretty low price in the end..." T-Twenty-five thousand-

No! That wasn't low at all! Katsuya swallowed, the others again raising their eyebrows as the blond groaned at the price. Aww hell...

"You know," the boy said somewhat wryly, "You get your next paycheck tomorrow morning, and the disks aren't on sale until then anyway..." They weren't?

Oh, good point then. Maybe if he was lucky it would cover it... "Phew... Lucky f'r me then," Katsuya muttered, laughing somewhat. "Hahaha..."

"We'll have to go down town," Yugi continued, nodding as his friend calmed down. "Our store doesn't carry it, but I hear that there's a specialty store nearby that will..."

" _That's right_ ," his other mentioned, Katsuya and Yugi both turning to what was apparently thin air. " _They were advertising it at the store I went into with Anzu yesterday_ ," the other Yugi added, nodding despite the fact that only two people could see him. Hoh...

That would work... "Hey, are you going to have enough money even with the check cashed in?" Honda asked, frowning as he looked back at the others.

"Gh- Of course!" Katsuya protested, scowling. ...Well. He hoped so at least. "An' even if I don'," he continued stubbornly, grinning somewhat, "I'll still manage somehow!"

Honda blinked, raising his eyebrows at that. "Okay then," he muttered, blinking a few times. "Good luck with that?" Ghhhhh...

He would, really! Oh, and while they were on that topic... "Hey Yugi?" the blond called, turning to his friends as 'both' moved to look at him. "After we buy that thing t'morrow, you wanna test 'm out back at yer house?" he asked, the pair nodding in response. "I wanna try out my deck, I made a few changes t' it las' nigh' an'-"

"Wait," Mokuba cut in, frowning. "You were messing around with cards while you were working?"

"Gh-" Ah... No? "Before I started, before I started!" he protested, the boy before him continuing to frown. "Honest!"

"Ah-huh..."

Yugi merely shook his head, ignoring the 'argument' as his 'other' vanished from sight. "Well, that sounds like a plan," he said with a shrug, smiling. "We could meet at the store at noon..."

"Katsuya-nii," Mokuba was continuing, "If I find proof otherwise..."

He grit his teeth, 'ducking' under the glare. "Gh... I ain't lyin'!" He wasn't, really! ...Well.

...Mostly...

* * *

Alright... So his paycheck wasn't actually that much, as he remembered when he got back that evening. What with 'rent' and 'utilities' being pulled out from it, among other things. But there had to be enough for him to afford that duel disk right, he told himself. Hell...

25,000, even if Mokuba was 'right there' when the price was decided, he could be wrong...

Right?

These were the thoughts that were wracking Katsuya's brain and making him hold his tongue that evening at supper, a slight frown on his face as he tapped a fork against the table. After digging out his last check, he'd realized all too quickly that he'd be short when he went in to buy the disk. But hell he couldn't just _not_ enter this tournament, and-

"Katsuya-nii?" Mokuba muttered from beside the blond, pulling both his and Seto's attention toward him for the moment. The blond blinked, staring somewhat blankly from his mostly empty plate. "Stop thinking about duel disks," he continued plainly, "I don't mind paying the difference..." He...

He didn't? Again the blond blinked, before nodding. "O-Oh..." Okay then, that-

"...What." The boys turned, blinking as they were faced with an oddly blank if not clearly surprised look from Seto. "You're buying a duel-disk?" Well YEAH? Beyond the fact that she probably shouldn't have been surprised about this...

Well. He snorted, shaking his head in response despite the continued blank stare. Probably should have been a warning sign not to continue, but since when did he listen to those right? "Heh! What, didn' think I wouldn' find out?" Katsuya said with a grin, before continuing on despite the tiny alarm bells in the back of his mind. "Hah! You might've made sure not t' tell me," he continued rather 'smugly', "But I've got my ways..."

"Katsuya-nii," Mokuba muttered, turning back to the blond with a fairly unimpressed frown. "All you did was ask, it's not that hard..."

"Gh-" Hey hey, ruin his fun wouldn't he... "Yeah... Well..." There was a sound of a moving chair, the boys turning to watch as Seto abruptly moved from the table with the still continuing blank expression. ...She...

Wasn't done her food, what...

"I'll be in my study," she muttered, pushing past the door to leave the others in silence.

...Hell, that never happened before. O...

Kay? "...What w's tha' abou'?" Katsuya muttered, blinking a few times as he turned back to Mokuba.

The boy shrugged, shaking his head as he turned back to his friend. "I don't know... She's not angry," he continued, looking back at the door as though to wait for his sister to come back, "I mean... She would have said something otherwise, but..." Yeah...

Just as confused as he was in the end it looked like. Well, anyways... "Hey..." The boy beside him turned, staring as Katsuya frowned. "Jus' realized, but if th' tournament's open t' anyone with a duel disk-"

"Oh!" The boy nodded, quickly catching on to what the blond was talking about. "It's not like that," Mokuba explained, shaking his head as his friend stared. "Nee-sama set up a ranking system; only duelists of a certain rank will get a disk that allows them a place in the tournament... I'm not really sure how that will happen," he continued, shrugging with a frown, "But..." But...?

He shrugged, going back to his food. Yeah that wasn't helpful. Ranking system... "O-Oii," he said with a cough, flushing somewhat. "I'm somewhere up top in there right? I mean... I came in second at Pegasus' tournament," the blond continued, nervously reassuring himself.

"Hahaha, I'm pretty sure you're eligible for entry," Mokuba laughed, shaking his head as his friend continued to grow pale. "Even nee-sama wouldn't mess something like that up to keep you out, you shouldn't worry!" Hahaha... Yeaaah...

Yeah what was he worried about... She wouldn't possibly do that, riiiight? The blond sighed, shaking his head. Needed to calm down... "Righ'... I guess y' got a point there," he added with a laugh, scratching his head with a nod. Why did he feel so unsure about this though...

...EH! Whatever. He looked up at the clock, moving from the table with a mental shrug. "Well... Anyways," he said with a nod, "I got work so... Y' wanna come along w' Yugi an' me t'morrow?" he continued, turning to Mokuba.

The boy shook his head, shrugging. "Sorry," he said with a frown, turning from his food for the moment. "There's a lot going into the tournament, so I told Rebecca that we'd video chat before it started, hahahaha..." Eh? That was his reason? There was a short bit of silence, the boy blushing slightly as Katsuya raised his eyebrows. Alright, now what was that abou- "Katsuya-nii," the boy added, frown deepening. "Remember what I said earlier about the cards alright? Otherwise I'm not giving you the extra yen for that duel disk!"

Katsuya nodded, merely waving away the threat. "Heh! No worries, I won' be bringin' in any cards..." ...For today. "Sheesh... Don' worry about it," he said with a grin, pushing his chair in before walking off toward the door. "It'll be fine... 'Nyways, guess I'll see yah when I get back t'morrow then," he continued, Mokuba nodding in response.

"Yep! See you," he continued with a shout, before going back to his food. Again Katsuya nodded, pushing the door open and walking off. Hahaha... Okay. Time to go throw on his uniform for work then...

The door to the dining room slammed shut behind him, Katsuya walking off somewhat briskly toward his room in silence. Honestly after what happened earlier that morning, a Duel Monsters tournament was probably just what he needed. Sure seeing monsters everywhere was weird, but anything beat that 'night'mare he'd had earlier on, even if the two were probably (with his luck) connected.

Anything.

Though on his run to the pool, he could have sworn he saw a moth the size of his head fly through a few people...

The blond shook it off, shutting the door to his room and pulling his shirt off. Ahhh, whatever. Creepy things were the 'least' of his worries, and all in all it wasn't like he had enough time to think about 'anything' else. And besides tha-

A loud slam came from behind him, Katsuya dropping his uniform shirt and bumping against the back wall as Seto threw the door shut behind her. "O-O-OI!" he shouted, flushing as the woman stormed forward, "I don' walk in on you!" the blond protested, Seto crossing her arms and pausing somewhat in her approach.

"Oh please," she growled, rolling her eyes, "You're wearing boxers, you've seen me naked," she pressed with a far angrier tone, "And really, this could be far, _far_ worse." Ahahahahah...

Aha... Katsuya blinked, leaning back somewhat against the wall and closet door as he looked away awkwardly. Ehhhh... Y-Yeah... Um... "...R-Really?" There were some strange, strange images coming to mind with that one...

...Besides the fact that the topic was apparently coming up without the threat of impending doom and-

The teen tensed as an even stronger glare came up, refusing to die down even slightly as Katsuya backed up further against the wall. "Get your mind out of the gutter Mutt," Seto hissed, leaning in rather imposingly as her 'employee' swallowed. H-Hahh, okay... "And listen very closely." He...

He was listening..!

Just please stop scaring the crap out of him... "This tournament is _NOT_ something I want you participating in," Seto warned darkly, "Nor is it something _YOU_ should want to participate in."

...What.

"People are going to die in this tournament," she spat, Katsuya staring back with confusion clearly written across his face. "Whether I like it or not," Seto added bitterly, hand gripping the desk beside them tightly as she continued on. "And if you think I'm going to risk you putting my brother through that..." she continued, cutting herself off with that warning hanging. Wait...

She thought he would... "...Die?" the blond whispered, swallowing as the glare continued to persist. But why would people...

"Oh good," Seto muttered dryly, "You're actually listening." Hey, hey... The woman pulled back, gritting her teeth. "Listen; I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you don't screw this up Jonouchi, but _so help me_ ," she continued under her breath, "If you decide to get yourself KILLED, I will personally find a way to bring you back and beat you half to death for it!" E-EH! Aha...

Ahahaha (God damn it why was she so frightening...)... "O-Only half?" he muttered with a weak laugh, only to catch a well lit and inflamed glare from the woman. "Nhy-!"

"Did I not just tell you how much I _don't_ want you dead?" she growled, the blond before her attempting and failing to avert his gaze.

"Hahaha..." Oh if he could only find a real reason to laugh here... "Y' really do ca- gk!" Katsuya's breath hitched as he was pushed against the wall by his throat, Seto's glare managing to still continue to intensify as the woman half strangled him. Gh... Air... Ai _iiiiir_...

"I'll say it again... If you somehow manage to get into this tournament," she growled, momentarily tightening her grip, "Don't screw up... _Got it_?" The woman released her hold on Katsuya, blond taking in a gasping breath as Seto moved to leave the room.

"C-Crystal," he wheezed, swallowing back a choke as he looked forward. "W-We're crystal..." Holy shit the grip she had...

"Good," Seto muttered curtly, before looking back as she opened the door to leave. "And by the way," the woman added, cold gaze softening just slightly. "Provided you can afford the disk, you have from the 18th to the 20th off."

With that the door closed, leaving Katsuya to stare a few moments in silence as he ran over the 'conversation' he'd just had. 18th to the 20th...

So the tournament nights then? ...Assuming that was how long it was, but...

_'Don't screw this up_ '...

The blond looked over his dog tags, frowning as he slowly picked them up between his fingers. Much as he got the reasoning behind all of that behind the threat... Holy shit that was the last time he tried to lighten up a mood with that woman. Holy shit... Don't make lightly of things concerning Mokuba, just don't...

Don't...

* * *

It figured, what happened the afternoon after that talk. After a 'dreamless' sleep that only gave the blond slight comfort, a quick 'breakfast'...

For the most part he was as usual 'late' to meet up with the others. Hell with the excuse that Mokuba had told him the address of the card shop they were going to, he'd literally run in just as the others were entering the store, barely convincing them that he had gotten lost.

It was either that or admit to following them around on Marine Day after all so...

Yeah. Didn't mean he wasn't stuck running like hell to get there sadly.

"H-Haaah... Made it," the blond shouted with a laugh, gasping somewhat for air as he skidded to a stop at the store. Three barely missed stoplights, about double the amount of narrow encounters with cars...

Anzu and Yugi both shook their heads, watching as the blond looked around and continued.

"Hah... So I'm guessin' no one else came along then righ'?" he asked, rubbing his head. He didn't see anyone else at least. So...

Yugi nodded, before turning toward the card store behind him. "Yep... Did you manage to get enough for the disks?" he asked, glancing back at his friend. The blond pulled out his wallet, waving it somewhat with a nod. "Yep- didn't have 'nough wi' jus' th' check," he added with a shrug and a grimace, "But Mokuba said I could pay 'm back after th' next one." Which was fine with by him, and meant less to hold over his head in the long run.

The three walked into the store, stepping to the side as a few people shoved past to leave. Just briefly, Katsuya found himself staring back at them. Did he see something?

... Nah...

Katsuya shook his head, turning his attention back to the store itself. Definitely a card store. And hey, he didn't see those booster packs before...

"Be right with you," the store clerk called out, carefully stacking a few boxes along the back shelf as they walked toward the front. The three nodded in response, waiting for a moment before the man turned around as they waited by the store counter. "Alright then..." Another pair of boxes were pushed in along the side, the man adjusting his glasses as he typed a few things into a computer at the side. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked, leaning somewhat on the counter. Yugi nodded, stepping forward as his friends both looked past the clerk at the boxes in the back.

There they were, boxes gleaming in the store's light with a slight glare. 'Duel Disk'... Huh. It really did look completely different now that it was revamped. Looked more like a shield or... Or if the picture on the box was anything, a sword even.

"Hi... We were wondering if you had the new duel disks here?" Yugi asked, eyes trailing back to the boxes the clerk had only just finished stacking.

The clerk followed his gaze for a moment before nodding. "Ahhh... You must be planning on entering tomorrow's tournament then," the man said with a smile, the boys before him both nodding. "Am I right?"

The boys both nodded again, grinning while Anzu gave an amused smile beside them. "Heh! Yep," Katsuya said, the grin widening as he leaned against the counter. "That's right!"

"I thought so... Well," the clerk said with a nod, briefly looking back at the stack of boxes. "I have a few tournament-level disks left..."

"...Tournament level?" Yugi blinked, turning to Katsuya as the store clerk rooted through the boxes. "Do you have any idea about that?"

The blond blinked, before nodding. "Yeah... Yea, Mokuba mentioned tha'," he muttered, turning to the boy and again nodding as he explained.. "Somethin' abou' usin' duelist rankin's t' keep th' number of people in th' tournament in a decent range. We're fine though," he said with a grin, laughing at the slightly raised eyebrows he got in response. "No worries, it'll be fine! We're definitely in!"

"Ah, if you say so," Yugi said with a nod, turning back to the counter.

"I've been busy all day with customers like you," the clerk was muttering, hauling a pair of boxes up to the counter as he shook his head. "Hah... After this I'll only have three left, and it's only two in the afternoon!" The three before him laughed somewhat at that, watching as the clerk continued muttering off with a grin. "I'm going to have to close early at this rate... Not that I won't have made enough when that happens. Now then," he said with a cough, tapping a few things on the computer at the side before turning to the three. "Could you tell me your names?"

"Ah... I'm Mutou Yugi," Yugi stated first, swallowing somewhat as he gave a slight bow. Katsuya as well swallowed, a slight wave of nervousness coming over him before he followed suit.

"Jonouchi Katsuya..."

The clerk nodded, turning back to his computer. "Alright then..." Fingers flew across the keyboard, the man adjusting his glasses as he started at the screen. "Mutou, mutou... Aha! Here we are..."

He tapped a few more keys in, moving the mouse over some unseen point before jumping back with wide eyes. "Oh WOW! This," he muttered, blinking a few times with surprise, "This is incredible..." Ahhh...

What? Yugi blinked, tilting his head somewhat as he frowned. "Eh..." He shook himself, the frown lightening up somewhat as he coughed. "What are you talking about..."

"Oh?" The clerk blinked, before nodding. "Right... Sorry..." The man coughed, shaking himself again before explaining. "You see," he explained as he gestured at the screen, "I'm looking you up through the duelist database, which records the rankings and achievements of all 'official' duelists." Oh... This was the thing Mokuba was talking about then... "It records all 'official' players," the clerk went on to explain, crossing his arms. "Tournament level entrants, 'working' duelists... Kaiba Corporation started it up a short while ago using the national tournament records to filter out eligible competitors," he continued, "Logging their rarest cards, their skill level in comparison to others..." He coughed yet again, going somewhat red as he looked at the three standing before him. "The remarkable thing however, is this... I'm obligated to offer a discount depending on the level of the duelist after they pass the 'tournament' level range... And your level," he continued, shaking his head as a shocked grin grew on his face, "Well... It's the highest one on the charts! Champion of the Duelist Kingdom tournament, level 8 out of 8... It's incredible!"

Yugi went somewhat red at the compliments, Katsuya chuckling at the look on his face. "It... It's not that much," he protested, bowing his head.

The clerk merely continued to grin, still laughing. "It most certainly is; level 8 rank gets you a free duel disk!" he continued, eyes wide. "There's only two in the entire data-base!" O-Only two!

...He had a feeling he knew who the other one was... And the 'price' wouldn't have mattered with that one.

But either way, grins grew on their faces instantly with that in mind. "Wh-What, really?" Yugi shouted, watching as the box was handed forward. Despite the box being about the size of his entire torso, he somehow managed to balance it in his arms while still staring at the clerk incredulously. "I... I can just take it!"

Another nod, the clerk going back to his database with a smirk. "Of course," he said with a grin, shifting his glasses again. "Level 5's get 10% off, and anyone from that level on are eligible for tournament entry..." Hoh...

"So that's Kaiba-san's limiter then," Yugi muttered, sharing a look with Anzu for a moment.

"Ah- Hey, what abou' me?" Katsuya shouted, leaning over the counter. There was no way he could get a bad ranking but... He had this really nasty feeling... "What kinda discount d' I get?" ...Maybe he could pay for it himself after all?

"Ah... Jonouchi right?" the man asked, getting a nod from the blond and turning back to the computer. A few quick key strokes was all it took, the man scrolling down the list with narrowed eyes. "Lets see... Jou, jou... Ah, here we are..." There was a quick click, and the man pulled a face before looking at the blond and shaking his head. "Ooooh... Level 2," he muttered, shaking his head. "So sorry..."

W-What..! "L-Level two?"

"Eh... But Jonouchi-kun," Yugi protested, staring unblinkingly at the store clerk as the man shrugged. "I thought you said Mokuba already knew you would get in..!" Yeah, he DID!

"Even I have to admit that should be higher with the Duelist Kingdom's records," Anzu muttered, crossing her arms. "Strange..."

Strange... Yeah, nothing 'strange' about it! Katsuya merely bowed his head, gritting his teeth as the others continued to mutter about the oddness of the situation.

"' _If you manage_ ' she said, oh haha," he muttered under his breath, Anzu blinking.

"What did you say?" she asked, staring as the blond tensed slightly. Shit-!

...Oh what ever! "I said it figures tha' S-" Stop slipping! "Tha' Kaiba would do this, th' ass!"

"OH, heyyyy..." The three turned, blinking as the store clerk coughed and tapped the keyboard a few times.

Five..?

Did he just type- "Sorry about that," he said with a nervous laugh, shaking his head. "I read the label wrong.. Hahaha, darn resolution right?" Erm... Resolution probably wasn't the problem, if his 'hunch' was right. They stared, watching as the man moved over to the cash register with another box. "Level 5 out of 8, ten percent off the duel disk... You're good for the tournament," he continued, smirking. The clerk rang in the numbers, Katsuya eagerly running to the counter and pulling out his wallet as the man continued. "That will be 22,500 yen please..."

He owed Mokuba money now. Oh well.

The blond nodded, grinning as he handed over the cash in exchange for the box. "Heh! No probl'm, 's long as I'm in th' tournament," he said with a grin. Three nights off, three nights off...!~

The others laughed, shaking their heads as Katsuya grabbed his box and turned to leave the store. "Jonouchi," Anzu said with a grin, shaking her head as the blond pushed past the door. "If you keep showing it off like that you're going to drop it..."

"Oh man... Yugi," Katsuya said with a laugh, turning to his friend as they moved into the street. "We've got to test these things!"

"Definitely!" Yugi shouted, Anzu giving a somewhat exasperated sigh from behind the boys.

"Are you even listening?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as they moved to cross the street. There was no answer, Katsuya merely continuing his conversation with Yugi.

"So how th' hell are we gonna wear these things anyways," he muttered as they left out to the streets, both boys eagerly attempting to open the boxes. The other Yugi as well appeared, staring at the boxes with narrowed eyes as he crossed his arms.

" _Looks like they attach to our arms,_ " he observed, taking advantage of his 'ghostly' status and 'sitting' in mid-air.

"Hey," Anzu said with a nervous laugh, "Shouldn't you two at least wait until you're inside, or even near your house..?"

"Hey, 'no assembly required'," Yugi noted, looking at the box with a grin. YES.

"Thank god f'r tha'..."

"Hahhhh!" The two turned as Anzu sighed, the woman crossing her arms as she stopped at the crosswalk. "That's it... I'm going home alright?" she said plainly, pushing the button on the side and waiting for the light to change. They continued to stare, watching as the woman walked off shaking her head. _“Boys!"_ Erm...

The three blinked, each sharing odd looks before the 'other' Yugi shrugged. " _...Oops?_ " Hahaha...

The other two smirked, before moving on their way.

"Heh... I don' even think tha' covers it..."

* * *

Time really passed playing cards. Though the duel disks were all set up and ready to play with- the two having latched them to their arms for a short bit- the boys had opted to practice the normal way rather than struggle to find room for a twenty foot field as the sun went down. The fact was it wasn't hard to guess at the reasoning behind closing off the city, not to mention the reasoning behind doing that on the evening of the eighteenth, not that they were playing in the dark.

Despite the 'arena' flaw however, Katsuya still had his disk latched to his arm, deck locked in place as he lost (yet again) against his best friend. Make that 'loss' streak three hundred fifty three to zero...

"Aaaaaaagh," he groaned, rubbing his head as he looked at the few remaining cards on the carpet. "Jus' what th' hell 'm I doin' wrong!"

As the other Yugi shook his head from the side, his lighter half laughed, watching his friend cross his arms. "Nothing, nothing," he said with a grin, gathering his cards back up. "You're doing fine," the boy pressed. "You've gotten a lot better," he added, smiling.

" _A lot better,_ " his other added, crossing his arms and leaning back from his spot beside the two. " _Maybe this time when we make the finals,_ " he continued with a smirk, " _We can have a match as well!_ " A match against 'that' Yugi..? Ehhhh...

"Hahaha, maybe so," the blond decided after a few moments, "But I don' think I'll do too much better than I am now..."

Katsuya gave a nervous grin with those thoughts, gathering his own cards and putting them back in the deck holder on his duel disk. There was a slight whirring noise, the three staring as the cards shuffled among themselves before falling silent as it had before each duel.

"...Man," he muttered with a laugh, shaking his head as the others stared at the disk. "It's gonna take a while t' get used t' that..." The three glanced at the clock, Katsuya standing and stretching as he looked at his friends. "Anyways... I better head out now," he decided, Yugi nodding in response as his 'other' moved out of the way. They'd done a bit of experimenting with the whole 'ghost' thing after watching the other float through a wall. Mostly the question was ' _if normal people walk through you, what about Jonouchi_?' (Going through Yugi just got them back in the puzzle, or even switched out, they found.)

The answer was one falling over the other, as apparently 'ghosts' could be solid too. ...That was an interesting 'find'. In any case...

"That's probably a good idea," Yugi said with a nod, biting his lip. "The tournament officially starts at eight thirty," the boy continued with a nervous smile, "And it's already eleven..." Hahaha...

Yeah, if he'd still had work, he'd be screwed by now!

...Good thing then. "Hah! Yeah..." He shook his head, shaking the thought off. "Domino Plaza right?" he asked, Yugi nodding in response. "I'll see yah there then!" Katsuya said with a grin, heading down the stairs and toward the door. "Hey... Thanks f'r th' tips, alrigh'?" he added, gesturing to his disk before looking at the deck holder in question. "I'm feelin' a lot better abou' this deck now..."

Even if he had to hold his breath when normal fighting resulted in miniaturized figures of the monsters charging at each other.

...Though at least they were less 'gory' about it, and opted to keep whatever mutterings they had to a minimum. (The fact that they even _were_ muttering...)

"Of course," Yugi said in response, grinning as his 'other' also nodded. "Not a problem!" The blond gave another wave, heading out the door as he grabbed his jacket from the side. Thanks to the blistering summer heat, the jacket was largely useless but...

Well, with the sun down and all... "See yah in th' mornin'!" he called out, receiving the same words from the others as they grinned.

The door slammed shut behind him, Katsuya looking up at the sky for a moment as he started heading back home.

"Man," he muttered, heading down a near-by alley to pick up on lost time. The blond shook his head, laughing quietly as he pulled off the duel disk to get his jacket back on. "We really lost track 'f time wi' those duels," he muttered, clicking the disk back on his arm. Eerie silence answered the blond, Katsuya shuddering somewhat as he continued off in the dark. These smaller streets were pretty well empty now. Sheesh...

Almost as bad as where he used to li-

_clank_

"What..." Katsuya froze, watching as a can rolled out into the middle of the alley. Hang on... The blond stiffened, turning as a shadow of sorts moved from the side before leaving him with more silence.

That sound... He narrowed his eyes, staring out into the dark alley with clenched fists. Briefly he thought he saw flames, but... He stiffened further as a crowd of cloaked men stepped out from the shadows, blocking both ends of the alley without another word. Tch...

Shit.

"Damn," he muttered, shifting into a lose fighting stance. "An' here I thought this w's a better area 'f th' city..." The cloaked men gave no answer, one of them merely stepping closer enough for the blond to make out a chain and an 'eye' on the hood of the cloak. That eye...

' _Eye of Udjat,_ ' he heard his own 'voice' mutter, tone slightly 'older' than his own. ' _It's believed to protect those bearing its mark..._ ' Greaaaat... Besides the fact that hearing voices was never good...

He was surrounded by an Egyptian gang. Or something along those lines, but gang or no gang, why the hell did it have to be EGYPT?

...Didn't change the fact he was stuck dealing with this he supposed...

"...Who are you?" he growled, clenching his fists as the cloaked figures continued to stand where they were. Their faces were almost completely hidden under the cloaks, nothing but an oddly detailed 'eye' staring back from the tops of the hoods. Flames...

He swore he saw flames on these guys damn it, but how... "We're Rare Hunters," a man from the front muttered hoarsely, cloak unfurling to unveil black clothes and a duel disk. The man held his arm forward, face still largely hidden by the hood as he stepped forward to face the blond. Oh come on, Katsuya grumbled mentally, narrowing his eyes. The yo-yos were ridiculous enough despite all the pain they involved but...

...Actually he noted somewhat blankly, these things could probably cut someone in two if they didn't watch it...

...

Wait.

The blond tensed, his opponent's introduction abruptly coming back to him. Shit.

Shit this was the card-theft ring! Aaaaaaack... "Jonouchi Katsuya," the man continued, the blond tensing as he heard his name. Shit... Guys like this, he had no idea if they had guns or what... And hey, the fact that they knew his name was even better right? "We've heard that you're in possession of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon..." And they knew what cards were in his deck...

Somehow...

"We offer you the chance to duel for the right to keep it," he muttered on, Katsuya swallowing as he narrowed his eyes. Yeaaah... 'Chance'... "Unless you prefer your... Other chances," the man added, a slight smirk barely visible under the moonlit alleyway. Tch.

This many people, possibly armed? He looked around him, before clicking the disk 'on' with narrowed eyes. Eight people. Hah! Even he knew when he was out numbered he told himself, watching as the disk's two halves sprung into place before settling at the side. "Heh! I'll take you on," he growled, watching as the Ghoul across from him clicked his own disk into place with a single smooth motion. "I'll take you down like the crooks you are, each and every one of them... GO!" he shouted, drawing his hand of cards with narrowed eyes. "DUEL!"

Chuckling filled the air as the Ghoul grinned wickedly, his opponent swallowing as he pondered how 'different' 'reality' would be for the new duel disk matches. His answer was going to be soon, he knew that much...

"I summon Hannibal Necromancer in defense mode," the man announced raspingly, tablet appearing tall before him after the card was placed on the disk. No monster appeared from its form as it was summoned into place however, the image of a crouching and thorn covered beast merely appearing on its cover. Huh... Alright then...

So defense mode was 'tablet' mode. He could deal with that. "In tha' case," he decided, placing a card on the disk, "I summon th' Panther Warrior!" Katsuya shouted. The blond watched as the monster he'd recently added to his deck appeared in tablet form, rising from the ground seemingly out of nothing but the shadows at his feet. The outline of the armored and anthropomorphic beast appeared clearly on its cover, a smoking energy of sorts streaming along the stone before its carving glowed.

With a howling cry the monster tore free, the tablet remaining tall and firm behind it as it stepped out from its form. Blade in hand it came to stand on the ground, light detailing every detail on the monster's form. Fur bristling clearly, the beast turned a moment to bow its head in respect to its summoner, before looking back to its opponent with narrowed eyes. " _Attack position_!" it growled, sword at the ready as its summoner tensed. H-Hah...

Well. He supposed that answered the question of what the duels would be like...

The blond steeled himself, pointing his monster forward with a curt nod. Alright... "Panther Warrior... Attack!" With a jolt the panther charged, blade slicing cleanly through the carved stone tablet. A mere millisecond later and the crumbling rock fell to the ground in pieces, leaving nothing but rubble as the 'winner' scoffed at their opponent. Heh! Easy... "One swing's plen'y f'r that monster!" Katsuya bragged, grinning somewhat wickedly as his opponent showed no reaction. The Panther as well smirked, Katsuya continuing despite the 'chill' his opponent seemed to emanate. "How do y' like that?"

The Ghoul merely drew his next card, looking over his hand and remaining silent. Sheesh...

No reaction from these guys... "Hn," he muttered, staring over his hand briefly. "I'll play the spell Graceful Charity," he announced, tablet appearing at his side as the card was set. Again a carving appeared across its form, an ethereal smoke wrapping itself around the outlines of the tablet. From its carved form came a white robed angel, the creature's light shining over the Ghoul only to shroud its master in shadows as a result. "Draw three cards, discard two," the Ghoul muttered, the angel behind him doing the same as she vanished into a 'dust' of sorts and crumbled with her tablet. "Next," the man continued monotonously, "I'll play Three-Headed Geedo in defense mode!" Again with the defense?

Katsuya frowned as the tablet appeared, the outline of a mutated looking creature etching itself in the stone. Even with the slight confusion however, the blond pushed it from mind, shaking it off as his opponent's expression remained hidden under his cloak. Tch... Looked like this guy was stalling for a monster that could face his Panther. Even so! "Trounce it Panther Warrior!" he shouted, the monster giving a curt nod as it charged forward. With another cloud of dust the tablet was rendered nothing but rubble, Katsuya holding a smirk in place even as his monster fixed a frown at the wreckage. "Two down!" he cheered, those around him remaining silent. Evidently, this wasn't a problem for them... But whatever. "That really all y' got?" he taunted, grin still in place as he stared his opponent down. Come on...

If he had this guy on the defensive, there couldn't be that much wrong right? And yet the Ghoul continued to remained calm, drawing his next card before setting it on the disk. "On this turn," he announced, a familiar tablet forming beside him as smoke wrapped about it, "I play another Graceful Charity... Exchanging two cards for three." What...

Again!

Katsuya watched as the angel again appeared, light shining as its master cleaned his hand out. Again the tablet crumbled into dust, angel vanishing from sight as the Ghoul set another card. "And now Death Hand," he stated plainly, a new tablet appearing with the outline of a crude palm-monster on its front. "Defense mode..." The blond grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes. God damn it! Why wouldn't this asshole attack!

A slight breeze of sorts passed through the alley, both Katsuya and the Panther Warrior growling at their opponent's tactics. There was so much off about this, so much...

Nonetheless the blond drew his next card, ignoring the tenseness of his monster as the next tablet appeared. Tch... Fine then, if that was the case... He'd just have to use scare tactics! He looked over his card, nodding to himself. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath, the breeze increasing to the level of a small gale as he set it on the disk. "I'm playin' this!" he shouted, motioning forward and not waiting for the summon to 'finish'. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon! ATTACK!"

In a roar of flames the tablet appeared behind him, immense stone radiating with a power that somehow seemed completely different from those that he'd felt so far. Without looking back he could see the outline of the dragon traced out in entirety, indents glowing a rage-filled 'red' rather than steaming with the smoke of the other tablets. Seconds afterwards a jet of flames passed above him, followed by black scales and an echoing roar, huge wings held folded inward as the beast's body grazed the robes of the men standing around them. The dragon was here...

And before him the Ghoul stared at his opponent, chuckling even as his tablet crumbled to dust under the intense heat of the flames. "Hnhnhnhnhn... So that's Red-Eyes," he muttered, a grin appearing on his face as both his opponent and the monsters stared back with near identical frowns. "A monster with such power and potential," he whistled, traces of emotion seeping through his words, "You must be breaking under the weight of that burden..." The blond grit his teeth as his opponent laughed, drawing his next card. "I'll have to relieve you of the burden," he muttered, Red-Eyes growling angrily at the statement. "And would you look at this..."

The Ghoul continued to grin, before placing a set of five cards on the disk and motioning forward with an almost manic expression. What was that look...

"I win."

There were no tablets appearing. Five cards were placed, and yet... "What..."

"BEHOLD!" the ghoul cried, Katsuya stumbling back as an immense wind blew his monsters into nothingness, a pentacle appearing in the air. Hang on... How, there was nothing-

His eyes widened as the pentacle before him grew, chains rattling as they tore free of the star's hold.

"EXODIA!" E-Exodia! But there was no way...

No...

Oh god...

The ghoul before him continued to laugh manically as limbs reached out from the star's points, a looming and mummified monster rising stories above his opponent. Looking every part the Egyptian 'king' he was based upon it stared forward, eyeless sockets somehow narrowed with sick mirth as it stood to block the moon from sight.

"All five of Exodia's pieces are rare, this is true," the Ghoul explained, crossing his arms as his 'partners' drew close to the ground for an attack. "And it's nigh impossible to find all of them this quickly in a match," he went on, Katsuya merely swallowing as he unconsciously stepped back. "But I have three of each in this deck... And we ghouls can find and copy as many rare cards as we want..." Oh god...

Ohhhh god... Cheaters... Figured...

That they were...

Exodia continued to loom above the blond, Katsuya gritting his teeth as he moved to charge forward instead. Tch... "You BASTARDS!" he shouted, only to be held back roughly by the first two of the ghouls behind him. "Ugn!"

The blond struggled to escape the hold, elbowing one of the men in the face before tossing the second over his shoulder with a growl. Cheating pricks! Katsuya kicked the fallen ghoul to the side, continuing forward with rage filled eyes. Exodia was still there...

But with the duel over. " _Hnhnhnhnhn... Pathetic boy_ ," the monster growled, momentarily shocking the blond in place. " _You think to stand against me?_ " Tch! Katsuya ignored the voice of Exodia, instead punching down another of the ghouls as they attempted to take him down from behind. Nahhh...

Just its owner he thought, looking directly up at the monster with narrowed eyes.

Evidently, this was a big mistake... " _HN! PATHETIC_!" With a sudden jolt the wind was knocked out of him, one of the Ghoul's punches landing just as Exodia's fist slammed into the blond's gut. A fist easily the size of his body the blond noted in the back of his mind, eyes widening just briefly under the force of the blow. "G-OH!" G-Gh...

Something told him... He was holding back with that...

Katsuya stumbled to the ground, wheezing as he blearily attempted to pull himself to his feet. Across from him the Ghoul that punched him was looking at his fist oddly...

Heh, that was right, no one saw Exodia did they...

"Get his Red-Eyes," the 'main' ghoul ordered, the blond's slowly closing eyes watching as Exodia vanished with a cackling laugh. Rough hands pulled him to his feet, Katsuya holding back a shout as the grip further irritated already bruising points. Gh...

Shit... That hurt...

Hurt like hell... But even with that...

"Don'," he rasped, attempting to fight back despite his weakness. He pulled his arms out from the first Ghoul's grip, stumbling as he attempted to turn on his attackers again. "Get th' hell aw- GNK!"

Another 'punch', this time in the form of a duel disk to the back of his head as he collapsed forward.

O-Owwww... Ow...

Katsuya's body quivered violently as he attempted to pull himself to his knees, only to have his support knocked out from under him again. Gh...

Someone was grabbing something from his arm...

Someone...

"G... Gk... Get... Back 're," he whispered as he was dropped to the ground, still attempting to pull himself to his knees as the ghouls began to leave. "You f'ckers... don' d'serve... GHAK!"

Another blow was landed, this one to his stomach, the last of the Ghouls kicking the blond to the other end of the street. "Gh... Gk..." Pain...

Been a while since he felt like this...

Sitting in an alley, with some kind of gang leaving him twitching as his vision continued to fade. Couldn't let them get away though... No...

No...

As he lost consciousness, he could only think of one thing... Just a few words, a repeat of what he'd heard the night before.

_'People are going to die in this tournament... Whether I want it or not!_ ' No...

No...

_'Yugi... Careful..._ '

* * *

When he woke up he could see sand. Miles and miles of it, stretching as far as the eye could see.

And yet for some reason he couldn't convince himself that this wasn't normal, and despite the nagging feeling in his mind he told himself this was as average and mundane a sight as any other. He could see sand...

And the setting sun if he turned his head westward. Its colours bled across the horizon like a bleeding wound, another sight that he was supposedly used to. As normal as it was though it was nonetheless beautiful, in its own way. He was sitting in the middle of the desert at sunset he told himself, with a boy sitting beside him in the sand. The boy, like 'himself' had darkened skin, tanned even further from a rich brown by many hours spent in the sun. A fact that he wasn't trying to deny, for some reason.

He was telling a story as well he noted or at least finishing one, his staff held loosely in his hands as the boy beside him stared upward. A pity he'd missed it really...

He suddenly couldn't recall the tale and from what he knew, it was an important story...

' _Why do they hate us?_ ' the boy asked, face set with confusion.

His attention was pulled out of his thoughts, out of the ponderings of the desert around them with those words, staff shifting in his grip as he looked down. Hate them..?

For some reason, he knew who the boy was talking about. And for some reason he knew the answer. ' _It's because they fear us,_ ' he explained, a slow wind blowing through their hair as he looked away. ' _None from the lands beyond ours can ever understand our ways... Particularly not the ways of our past,_ ' he stated calmly, watching the bleeding streaks of red blend across the dusk sky. ' _We live among things that most would normally abhor, and we accept what most would turn away from their steps..._ '

' _Because no one else will?_ ' the boy asked, blinking.

' _Because there is no reason not to,_ ' he stated, turning to the boy.

A small bit of silence settled in, the boy turning away and nodding. ' _Then... The stories my mom tells me..._ '

' _Are true, to some extent,_ ' he admitted, despite a small nagging feeling that told him he shouldn't have known nor stated this aloud. ' _But you know_ ,' he continued on, still looking at the boy. ' _There is a reason why they are stories. Times have changed... The days of Gods and Monsters are over,_ ' he stated, looking back out at the desert.

The boy turned back, blinking. ' _Really..? Then... I won't get to see..._ ' See...

Ahhhh. For some reason, he knew what the boy was talking about. 'That' thing...

Hahahahaha...

At this he laughed, shaking his head before ruffling the boy's hair and smiling. ' _That depends- the road between cities is dangerous little one, too dangerous to go alone like you planned... But perhaps if your mother gives you permission to join me on my trek this year you'll get your chance._ '

' _Ah... Really?_ ' the boy asked, beaming as his 'friend' nodded. ' _Even in the middle of the desert?_ '

He grinned, standing up and grabbing his staff with a nod. ' _Of course...!_ '

' _But..._ ' The boy frowned somewhat, looking up with an oddly 'adult' expression in place. Strange...

That look was different than normal. Familiar, and yet...

_'We don't have time to go into the desert now,_ ' he stated, the man beside him frowning at that. No time? That's right, the nagging voice in the back of his mind said. No ti-

But wait... ' _Why wouldn't we?_ ' he found himself saying instead, a slight and confused frown on his face. _'It's my 'job' to be nomadic; I move from city to city, and to the villages between. I can't stay in one place to long... And for that reason,_ ' he stated with a smile, ' _We have all the time we need._ '

But the boy appeared to disagree with this, shaking his head. ' _No you don't._ ' He didn't? The boy continued to look up with a frown, and the desert appeared to mist away into the night sky and reveal nothing but darkness.

How odd...

' _You have to be somewhere at 8:30,_ ' the boy stated, ' _Remember?_ ' Eight... Thirty? What did that even m-

The nagging voice grew louder in the back of his mind, the desert continuing to fade out to reveal solid stone and brick. Wait, that was right...

It was... _'Eight thirty..._ '

_'You need to wake up,_ ' the boy pressed, his own form vanishing into nothing but dust. Suddenly he was left in complete darkness, the staff in his hands gone as well and replaced with a device on his arm.

_'Wake up..._ ' Wake up? That's right, he...

Katsuya jumped, shaking himself as his senses returned. Gh-

That's right, eight thirty, the tournament... _'Wake up..!_ ' He'd love to, but how was he supposed to-

* * *

" _Wake UP_! "

"Gn..." Katsuya's eyes blearily opened, a rough and throaty voice continuing to growl at him from slightly above. "What..."

" _Ugh... I said GET UP!_ " the voice snarled, aggravation evident in its tone. The blond continued to blink, vision slowly clearing as he stared at the ground. Sunlight... Morning then. Ugh...

Weird dream...

Probably the first 'real' dream for a while though he admitted, mentally wincing at the pain he was in. Ow...

Bruises... The blond rubbed his head, groaning as he cleared his eyes. Pavement... Pavement...

Feet? Weird feet, looked almost like paws...

"What..?" Katsuya's eyes followed the 'feet' upwards, only to swallow as he was met with a furred and quite clearly incensed 'panther'. Armor... And a cape...

Oh yeah... Probably should have realized the feet were covered in fur. Haha... Hah...

What. "P-Pan... Panther..." He swallowed, choking on his words as he stared at the red-eyed monster with wide eyes. "Panther Warrior..."

" _Oh please_ ," the monster growled, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes. Interesting how unlike the card he could actually see somewhat oval pupils... " _Just get UP so I can go to sleep already!_ " Ah wait, what?

"S-Sleep?" he asked, coughing as he stared. These things slept? "Y ... You shouldn' even be real!" he muttered, shaking himself. "An' I'm talkin' to..." Alright, way to prove his case there...

...Waaaaait...

The blond tensed, hurriedly pressing himself against the wall as he looked at the monster. Way to be slow of mind there! "H-HOW ARE YOU REAL!"

There was a sudden rapid 'flapping' sound as a few pigeons above them flew off, the two looking up briefly before looking back at each other. " _Ughhh..._ " The panther rolled his eyes, pulling the blond roughly to his feet by the back of his jacket.

"W-woah," he muttered, stumbling somewhat as he leaned against the wall. Katsuya swallowed, turning back to the panther and watching as it shook his head.

" _Just calm down already_ ," he growled, crossing his arms as his ears fell flat. " _I've been waiting for hours for you to wake up! Do you have any idea how aggravating your world is? I can't do a thing here!_ " Ahhh... O... Okay..?

S-Sorry..? Katsuya stared, watching the panther rant before shaking his head. "...'M I still dreamin'..?" This had to be a dream right, hell, intelligible mutterings were one thing but entire conversations..?

Again the panther rolled his eyes, sword held tightly at his side in a belt that was notably missing from the card counterpart. " _Look... This isn't my problem,_ " he stated flatly, leaning in to speak at eye-level. " _I was already finding it hard to believe that a moron like you managed to get this close to the other realms. This is just making me more exhausted..._ " Yeaaaaaah... Tell him about it. " _Try not to call me out for a while, got it?_ " he continued with a growl, baring his teeth momentarily. Sheesh...

Angry enough..?

Nonetheless he nodded, despite having no clue as to what the monster was talking about. "S-Sure..." Honestly, it was really difficult to realize he was talking to thin air here...

" _Good! And next time_ ," the panther growled, walking over to where his summoner's cards lay scattered on the ground, " _Catch the obvious strategy your opponent is making and THINK AHEAD!_ " HEH?

And with that, before Katsuya had the chance to argue that he shouldn't be listening to 'hallucinations', the monster vanished, a card on the ground shivering slightly as a result. What what what..!

The blond blinked slowly at first, before walking over to where the few cards were and staring at the piece of 'paper' blankly. Most of his deck was still in his duel disk... Which was, he noted, still on his arm. But his hand was scattered along the ground, along with...

Panther Warrior.

Even though that should have been on the disk he noted, looking at the device as he picked up the card to put it back in the deck. But where was...

All at once the night's events returned to him, Katsuya barely keeping his grip on the cards he'd gathered from the ground. Oh shit...

"Red-Eyes," he muttered, before turning to look down the alley. No... More than that. Far far more than that... "Th' Ghouls!"

With teeth ground together the blond took off, fists clenched with one thought in mind. Domino Plaza...

If the ghouls were targeting cards, then there was no way they wouldn't be there! But while that thought took control of his actions, it never occurred to him...

Panther Warrior had been standing there to wake him up but...

Hadn't Exodia's summon destroyed Panther Warrior the night before?


	8. Achilles's Heel

At eight o'clock in Domino Plaza those heading to their businesses found themselves fairly confused. Walking around the large street roundabout, a majority of these people wound up being somewhat bounced around by early risers from across the country, each of those people wearing blade-like and shield-like devices on their arms. These people merely gave their own responses to what happened when someone bumped into them, and then offered a warning.

Get out of the playing field.

Ten minutes after this fact and the plaza was devoid almost completely of 'normals', with approximately twenty or so duelists wandering the square as nearby cafes and businesses took advantage of the foreign crowd. Ten more minutes, with the twenty increased to about fifty, and those waiting for competing friends found themselves sitting on benches with worried expressions in place, exchanging just barely visible glances with a muttered 'he's late...'

... Whoever 'he' was.

Because the fact was none of this was really of his concern for the moment, and as for now he was busy following a crude map his classmate had drawn him from memory a number of months ago. A map that, while accurate, had suffered a few pop stains on the train ride there and was proving quite difficult to read while he was attempting to ignore another 'friend's ramblings.

He really shouldn't have promised to use paper instead of google.

"I'm just saying," the somewhat nasally voice repeated once again, sounding oddly like begging the more he heard it. "As the champion of Japan," he said smugly, "It would only make sense for me to visit his 'runner up' opponent..."

Keiichi 'Dinosaur' Ryuzaki rolled his eyes as he walked down the street toward the plaza, looking back at the boy behind him with a frown. 'Insector' Haga as the boy was known had somehow known exactly when his train would arrive the day before, what hotel he was staying at, and using this knowledge had been following him since he left the room.

To say he was 'annoyed' would be putting it lightly. "Haga you placed dead last in the Duelist Kingdom," he said plainly, watching as the spectacled boy seethed at the comment. Hey, facts were facts... "'Champion' is the last thing I'm going to use to describe you," the teen muttered, adjusting his 'map'. Now was that a stain or a kanji character...

"Ghn... Well then!" the boy spat, flushing as he followed behind his self-proclaimed friend, "If you're so much better, then just what place did you come in?" he asked, evidently confident in the thought that he had done no better. Which was not a good thing to think really, not at all.

The teen smirked, adjusting his hat as the plaza came into view at the end of the street. "Heh! If it hadn't been for timing," he bragged, "I would have made the finals!" Beat that, 'bug boy'. He looked back at his 'friend', Haga in question visibly seething with the knowledge.

Hehehehehe...

"As it was," he continued with a shrug, looking back toward the plaza, "I ended up 'fifth'..." And barely catching the last boat off the island, he mentally added. Not that Haga needed to know that. Besides, getting ten star chips to be booted off the island wasn't nearly as bad as this guy...

The insect lover appeared to pout somewhat from behind him, grumbling something under his breath as Keiichi smirked. "Ghngggg... If it hadn't been for that one duel..."

The teen merely grinned, shaking his head. "Don't care~"

"AGGH!" Yeaaaah, if he could make Haga squirm then he could live with the stalking...

Though speaking of that. Keiichi sighed, turning to the boy as they entered the plaza. "Alright Haga," he said with a frown, crossing his arms as the boy in question raised his eyebrows. "Why don't you just tell me what you hope to achieve in stalking me and leave me alone, alright?" he asked, the frown deepening.

Haga blinked a few times, before a fairly smug (if not painfully aggravating) smirk came over his face. "...Hnn... I don't think I will," he decided, Keiichi's frown growing flat in response.

What. "...You won't tell me why you're stalking me," he 'repeated', Haga's smirk growing.

"No."

"You... Admit that you're stalking me?" he asked incredulously, watching as the boy smirked in response.

"Well," he drawled, 'friend' resisting the urge to stab him with the duel disk, "Being a duelist of my level, I wouldn't say-"

"Damn it Haga, what do you want!" he shouted, a few others in the crowd turning momentarily as his voice echoed around the plaza.

The boy tensed, blinking a few times with a shocked expression before turning away with a fairly 'snooty' look in place. Great... This look.

The one where he wouldn't admit dick-all, Keiichi thought with a mental grown, closing his eyes as he clenched his jaw. "Well... If you must know," he muttered, the look fading to Keiichi's dull surprise, "I... Well..."

Well..?

He sighed, turning back to his 'friend' rather pathetically despite the clear look of distaste he had. "Tch... I need a place to stay," he spat, refusing to look at his 'friend' as he said this. "There. Now you know." He...

Needed a place to... "...What." But Haga lived in Tokyo... "Why the hell would you..."

Haga flushed, gritting his teeth in apparent anger as he continued on and turned back. "My sisters said they would kick me out once I started high-school," he growled, fists clenched tightly as he spoke. "I need to find somewhere to stay!" Wh...

What? He shook his head, blinking a few times as he ran the words through his head. Oh this was just... Unbelievable. Completely unbelievable.

"Your... Your _sisters_ ," he repeated, blinking a few times. Alright, to the most important point of this topic... "...You have sisters?"

"Three of them," Haga explained offhandedly, apparently not caring too much about the relatives in question. "All of them unable to realize what a mistake they're making..." God damn it, stop talking about how great he was... "...And all paying the bills for our apartment," he added dryly, the smug tone dropping quicker than a stone. Well, given the attitude...

He could see why they would do that. But even so. "Wait," he muttered, shaking his head. "School isn't out for another term..." Which meant that this wasn't going to happen for... Months.

This was the wrong thing to say, he realized rather quickly, as Haga was smirking again. Ahhhhh... Someone get him earplugs... "Yes, well... I passed a few 'extra' tests," he said with a grin, managing to look smug despite the fact that his glasses were starting to fall off his face. The boy pushed them back into place, sunlight glaring off the glass oddly as he continued on. "Starting in September, I'm officially a high-school student..." He...

He skipped a grade.

Half way through the year, what the hell were the chances of that?

"Of course," Haga added bitterly, rolling his eyes, "'Ane' doesn't seem to realize that some schools offer 'scholarships'..." Yeah, a few but...

Keiichi bit his lip, rubbing his head as he took a long and shaky breath. Alright. Alright calm down, as annoying and bratty as Haga was, he could... Handle this and...

Fuck it, no he couldn't. The teen snapped, turning back on his 'friend' again with grit teeth. "Why the HELL are you coming to ME!"

Again Haga froze up, momentarily loosing his proud expression to stare for a moment. "...Well..." He coughed, hurriedly regaining his smug expression much to Keiichi's distaste, "I figured that as the person who lost to me in the championships, you would-"

"WHY, HAGA." There was a short span of silence, the boy gritting his teeth as he again went red in the face.

"Fine!" he growled, Keiichi holding an unimpressed frown at the 'excuse'. "I'll say it! Because you're the first person that came to mind, HAPPY NOW?" Ahhh...

No. No he wasn't. Though it made him feel slightly better...

"And you're the only one," Haga added with another bitter snarl, crossing his arms and turning away. "So you can go right ahead and rub that in now." Yeah, well...

Wait... The _only_ person that came to mind?

Keiichi blinked, staring at the boy as he attempted to gauge the honesty in the words. Was... Was he serious? He couldn't seriously mean...

...

"Hahhhh..." He rubbed his head, closing his eyes briefly as he sighed. Alright. Alright, just this once... "Fine," he said plainly, looking at the boy. He was going to regret this horribly but... Alright. "At the end of tomorrow," he decided, "You can come back with me to Osaka to stay at my house until you find someone else to live with. ...Like actual relatives," Keiichi stated dryly, the words likely missing their target as Haga grinned.

"I knew you wouldn't say no," he said cheerfully, the grin coming out more manic and haughty than 'honest' Keiichi noted. "After all, I-"

"Say it," he warned, "And I'm taking back what I said."

This shut Haga up quite quickly, the boy looking at him in silence for a few moments before turning his attention to his deck. "Well... I suppose that's fair," he muttered, fingering his cards. Dear god, please shut up... "Should I call your house?" he asked 'innocently', "Tell your parents to set up a bed for me?" Agggggh... Imposing little bra-

Wait. He turned, frowning. Alright, his hotel room was one thing but...

"Since when in the hell did you have my number?"

"Since I looked it up," the boy said plainly, pulling out a worn phone that was overloaded with insect charms. He flipped it open, pushing a few buttons as he continued. "I also have your cell phone number, house address, school address... Hnnn, perhaps I could enroll there," he added, frowning slightly as his 'friend' steadily grew angrier.

"Aaaaa _aaaaagghhh_..." Dear god _SOMEONE STRIKE HIM DOWN_! "Damn it," he growled, "If you know all of that you can get there yourself!" The teen crumpled his map, stowing it in his pocket and shaking his head as he stormed off. Honestly, it would probably be best to just ignore him now...

Just... Ignore him and move on...

"So," Haga asked, keeping up with the teen fairly easily, "When the tournament starts, would you like the honor of facing me first?" he asked with a grin, only to freeze and swallow as he was met with a dark look from Keiichi.

"Second warning," he muttered with a scowl. "Number three happens, and you won't be getting on that train, least not the one heading south..."

"Ehehehehehe... I'll shut up," Haga muttered with a swallow, his friend rolling his eyes. Yeaaaah... When the ice age happened again...

He was already regretting this damn it... "Right..." The teen shook his head, before blinking as he heard a familiar voice from the side. Well, anything for a distraction, but hang on now...

"He should be here any minute now," someone muttered, Keiichi moving toward the voice as Haga followed behind. "He tends to be late during the summer I've noticed," the voice continued, "Thanks to his job..." Eh..? Who was?

And wait, that voice seemed oddly familiar...

"Really?" another voice asked, Keiichi blinking as he spotted the source. Wait... That was...

Oh hell. "Gh- It's Yugi!" Haga hissed, reaching for his duel disk with narrowed eyes.

Keiichi shook his head, frowning. "Haga, the tournament hasn't even started yet..." Annnd he wasn't listening...

"I'm going to make him pay for last time..." Agggggh...

“Damn it Haga!" He shook his head, before looking back as Mai and Yugi both turned their attention to them.

Eh, what the hell, they'd spotted him now so...

"HEY!" he called, giving a slight wave as the two stared. "Long time no see Yugi! ...Mai!" Alright... Yugi he had no problems with really but...

Mai on the other hand...

The woman blinked, staring at the two as they approached. He hated that bitch. He really did.

"Dinosaur Ryuzaki," she said with slight surprise, before looking at the boy behind him with even more confusion. "And... Insector Haga?" Yeaaaaah don't ask. At all.

Keiichi merely nodded, sending a somewhat tense glare toward the woman as he did so. Heh! "Listen up," he said plainly, jumping right to the 'point' of the 'subject'. "This isn't going to be anything like it was on the island! We fight in this tournament and you're going down, got it?" he said with a nod, arms crossed. After souping up his deck with a few new cards... Heh! Mai wouldn't stand a chance!

"That's right," Haga said with a smirk, Keiichi momentarily looking back in confusion. He was agreeing? "If you think it'll be as easy as before," he continued with a drawl, "You are sorely mistaken... My new insect deck is many times more powerful!" he shouted with a grin, "And far superior to your own! Hnh _nhahahahaHA_!" ...No.

No he wasn't agreeing damn it, he was being Haga.

"AAAAH-HAHAHAHA!" The boys turned, blinking as a notably tanned duelist walked over with a wide grin in place. "Insects?" he laughed, looking at Haga as he wiped a tear from his eyes. "Wait until you see my deck!" he continued with a grin, shaking his head. "My Fortress Whale will swallow your bugs whole!" Fortress- Oo _oooh_ , this was the champion from Okinawa...

Ryota Kajiki? Keiichi smirked, turning his attention to the teen as he snorted. "Hah! If it's size you're arguing about," he said with a laugh, "Then my dinosaurs would top you any day!"

Kajiki raised his eyebrows, the positive expression nonetheless staying firmly in place. "You think so?" he asked with a smirk. Heh...

"I know so!"

"My bugs are still better," Haga shouted from between the two, refusing to be out done.

"You wish!"

"RGGGGG!"

All in all, it wasn't really surprising that Mai and Yugi were gone by the time they bothered to pay attention to anything else afterwards, and it was probably sheer luck that he managed to ditch Haga at any time after that.

* * *

Domino Plaza was fairly close to Yugi's house in all honesty, being only ten or so blocks away. From the alley that Katsuya had collapsed in it was even closer, likely about half the distance. But the bruises that developed as a result of Exodia's punch were soft and painful, gaining a fairly sick looking colour at that.

And the shock of the events were just barely enough to keep him from running at full speed without acknowledging this pain. It was long past eight thirty he told himself as he ran. He knew that by the people running past him, by the clocks he saw on his run, and more importantly he just _knew_. But no one was challenging him just yet he thought with narrowed eyes as he stumbled past another corner... Not just...

Yet...

A flash passed through his vision, the blond running through it nonetheless. As he ran however he found himself slowing, eyes staring not at what was there but more at something else. The ghoul...

From the night before sitting at a laptop, with his hood down... But in the street? Katsuya froze, coming to a stop in the middle of the street as he realized what he was seeing. Even as he stopped moving, staring at the ground, he could see it. Clearly, every detail, the location, the actions...

The face of the one he was looking for.

The blond grit his teeth, eyes narrowing with rage as he charged into the plaza with renewed speed. Him. He knew his face... He knew what he looked like, what he sounded like. And in front of the cafe, the exact same one he'd seen moments before...

"YOU," he shouted, storming over to the table where the ghoul sat, face red in contrast to whatever shade the bruises under his shirt were. Pale face, pale hair, bloodshot eyes... The man had likely not seen the sun for a while, to say the least. "Found you y' rat... You c'n disappear int' a crowd," he spat angrily, "But y' can't hide eyes like that..." Not by a long shot...

The ghoul appeared to ignore him for the moment, tapping a few keys on his keyboard before calmly sipping from his coffee. Answer him damn it... Answer him! "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Katsuya growled under his breath as the ghoul chuckled, looking over his mug. "Sore about the card you lost?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "A rare card like that, I'm willing to bet it was your ticket into this tournament..." Not the only ticket no...

But that wasn't the point in any way. God damned bastard! "Ch... Th' only reason why you have it is b'cause you stole it, y' SNAKE!" And if it wasn't for the fact that he'd likely be the one in pain if he attacked in front of a crowd he'd have taken him out right now damn it!

"Jonouchi!" a voice from the side called out, Katsuya turning as the other Yugi came over from the side. He stared for a moment, frown fading only slightly at the sight of his friend. Just him..? He'd have thought the 'normal' one would at least be following around like a ghost for this... "What's going on here?" the teen pressed, frowning somewhat as his friend stared. What was going on?

Hell. That's what was going on. "Yugi..." ...Back on subject now! He steeled himself, turning back to the 'Ghoul' with narrowed eyes as a growl again developed under his breath. "Be on yer guard Yugi," he muttered, fists clenched tightly as he stared at his opponent from the night prior. "Th' Ghouls 'r in this tournament!"

"G-Ghouls..!" Yep. The blond's friend stared, both boys watching as the ghoul gave a smirk and downed the last of his coffee. "Then..." He frowned, turning back to the blond with raised eyebrows. "Don't tell me they took one of your cards..!"

Katsuya grit his teeth, nodding. "Yeah..." Yeah they did... Even so. "But don' fight him," he continued, turning to Yugi seriously. As much as he hated to say it... "This guy has-"

Yugi ignored the blond, instead placing his hand on his duel disk and moving closer to the Ghoul's table with a red face. A-Ah-

Wait! "Hn! Someone who steals the cards and property of my friends doesn't deserve an excuse," he muttered, Katsuya merely blinking at the words. "Anyone who even thinks of it will answer to me!"

That was great but... "Y-Yugi..!" But he was trying to tell him something important!

The Ghoul's smirk grew, laptop closing over as the man stepped away from his table and grabbed his disk from the side. "Hehehehehe... You want to duel me then?" he asked, receiving a cold nod in response as the two boys looked back at him. Hey hey hey...

"Yugi, wait," he protested, turning back to his friend with a worried frown. "I need t'-"

"Stay out of the way," his friend stated calmly, moving to an empty spot in the plaza as he stared at his opponent coldly. Stay out of the- Damn it! "I'll get your card back... Garbage like this is a disgrace to the city," he growled, voice picking up in volume as he set his disk into place, Katsuya mentally smacking his head. "I'll clear you out right now!"

Okay, what. "Hehehehehe..." Katsuya turned back as the Ghoul began chuckling once more, eyes narrowing once more. "Challenging me to a duel like this..." The ghoul shook his head, smirking as the two boys glared. "Very brave... I accept then," he decided, locking his deck into place. Err... That was great but...

Damn it Yugi, listen! "So... A 'Rare Hunter'," Yugi said with clear distaste, eyes narrowed as his friend groaned quietly from the side. "Counterfeiters and thieves... The 'Ghouls' of the gaming world." Yes... So what did he think would be in this guy's deck then? Normal cards? "Just what brings a gang from the Middle East to Japan?" he asked, eyes narrowing even further as he continued to look across the field. Ah...

That was a damn good question now wasn't it. The ghoul merely chuckled, smirk still in place as he glanced up at the clock above them. "You need to ask? All of Japan's best duelists have been gathered here," he explained with a grin, eyes narrowing in mirth. "A concentration of champions in one sweet spot... We 'Rare Hunters', the 'combat division' of ghouls decided to send a bit of a message," he continued, shrugging as the two before him tensed further. "Remind the world that the shadows are not the only place we hide... We're taking this tournament," he stated with a laugh, disk clicking into place on his arm, "And all the rare cards that come with it!" Gh...

"Tch... Bastards..." No kidding... "Then I'll have to destroy every last one of you!" Yugi roared, Katsuya looking from his friend to the ghoul. That... That was really great but...

"Listen, Yugi," he muttered, expression serious as he again tried to pass on his warning. "I-"

"Quiet Jonouchi," his friend muttered, the blond tensing somewhat in response. "I'll get your Red-Eyes back, you don't need to worry..." That wasn't what he was worried abou- "We're entering this tournament together," he continued with a nod, the blond beside him freezing for a moment before frowning. Yeah well... Not insulting his ability or anything, but this guy kinda had a deck full of bootleg Exodias here.

And he'd be damned if he was going to watch him get punched back by that thing! "Agggggh... Just lemme warn yah!" he protested, frowning as he was seemingly ignored by the boy. "His deck 's got-"

"Don't finish that sentence Jonouchi!" What! The blond blinked as a hand was held to his face, his friend still staring across the field with a scowl in place. "No matter what kinds of tricks this hunter has hidden in his sleeve," he muttered under his breath, "I have no right to know the enemy's strategy before a game," he said plainly, Katsuya staring in silence. "I don't need an unfair advantage to beat this piece of scum..." He... "So," Yugi 'asked' loudly, looking across the field as he changed the subject before Katsuya could protest again. "Do you have a name? No," he decided with a smirk, "I suppose you don't..." But what did that mean? The blond beside him frowned, watching as his friend's smirk vanished to be replaced with a cold glare. "Come at me with all you have..."

"H-Heh?" What, even the ghoul was confused, what the hell!

Even so Yugi's glare continued to intensify, the ticking of the clock seemingly raising in volume from behind them. "I'll crush you..."

Yugi... Voices from around them were muttering to themselves as the blond stared, frowning.

Two minutes to nine... ' _Hey_ ,' one person was muttering, ' _A duel's starting by the clock tower..!_ '

_'That guy 'Yugi' is in it too_ ,' another was saying, clearly excited, ' _Lets watch!_ '

One minute left...

"Hehehehehe... I have to admire your fighting spirit," the Ghoul muttered, smirking darkly as time slowly ticked away. "But I'm going to teach you that it takes far more than that to win..."

In response Yugi merely narrowed his eyes still further, fingers reaching for his deck. And without looking at the clock...

Nine.

"I'm first," Yugi stated clearly, Katsuya standing at the side with a clenched jaw as his friend drew a fresh hand of cards. Looking over them only briefly he began to make his move, Katsuya biting his lip as he watched. The strategy...

The ghoul's plan...

Would Yugi be able to figure it out quickly enough he wondered, swallowing. "I'll set this card face down," Yugi announced loudly, an enormous and blank tablet appearing at his side the instant the card was set. "And in attack mode," he continued, a second tablet appearing with a carving in place, "Gazelle, King of the Mythical Beasts!" Steady and thickly carved lines appeared on the stone, smoke wrapping through the outlines as its monster was summoned into existence. "End turn," Yugi called out as the lion-like beast broke free of its tablet, the monster snarling and howling as the man across him drew his card.

"Hn! Then it's my turn," the Ghoul stated calmly, an eerie smirk coming over his face as he drew his card. Shit. That look... "I play the spell Graceful Charity," he announced, tablet appearing at his side and slowly revealing the angelic carving. Seconds later the tablet ground itself to dust as the familiar angel arose behind him to shine its summoner in a pale and heavenly light. "Draw three cards," it 'commanded', eyes shut in apparent serenity, "Discard two..."

That voice was kinda creepy when he thought about it, the blond noted with a swallow. Nonetheless both he and Yugi narrowed their eyes as the angel vanished from sight, both boys watching as the Ghoul exchanged his hand. The cards he had...

Both legs, the blond thought as he grit his teeth, not bothering to wonder how he knew. And the right arm... First 'draw' and he already had three out of five. Damn it...

Before he summoned Exodia, Yugi had to beat him! He had to hurry! "I'll also set the Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode," Yugi's opponent shouted, the tablet appearing at his side as the boys attentions were pulled to the field. The thick carved outline of a stone beast appeared clearly on its form as it arose from the ground, Katsuya looking back at his friend and swallowing. "End turn..." Tch. And there was the defensive strategy...

Damn it Yugi! "Hn! My turn," Yugi stated after a few moments and narrowed stares, drawing his next card and setting it on the field. "I play Baphomet the demon," he announced, the great winged demon's outline slowly appearing on the tablet on the field's place. Black smoke rose up through the outlines, a blood-curdling cry entering the air as the monster pulled itself from the tablet behind it. "Next," Yugi continued, the image of a spiral appearing on his blank tablet's cover, "I activate the spell Polymerization!" The spirals began to emanate from the tablet's form, Yugi continuing as its magic filled the field. "I fuse my two monsters to summon this," he stated clearly, the intense vortex of the spell tablet pulling both of the monsters on the field into the stone. "Chimera, the Mythical Beast!"

The two tablets from the beasts sacrificed crumbled into dust with those words, the resulting smoke forming a carved image on that of the again blank 'spell' tablet. In an instant two roars pierced through the air, the image on the tablet becoming clear as smoke wrapped through the outlines. " _GROOOOOO_!" Great horned heads charged forward as the tablet glowed, eagles wings pulling free of the stone with another roar. " _GRAOOOOO_!" Haaaaah...

Three heads. Lion, demon-thing, sna-

Wait, where the hell did the third one come from...

Katsuya shook the question off, instead watching as his friend ended his turn. Fusion monsters couldn't attack on the turn they were summoned... A fact that made his opponent more than pleased. "Heh... In that case I draw," the Ghoul said with a grin, glancing at the card he'd grabbed only for a moment. "Once more," he shouted clearly, "I play the spell Graceful Charity!" Katsuya swallowed, narrowing his eyes as another tablet bearing the image of an angel appeared before them.

Discard two cards, he thought, narrowing his eyes as the tablet and angel both disappeared. Draw three.

Another right arm... And the head too, the blond thought tensely, grinding his teeth in agitation. Who knew how the hell he knew this but damn it Yugi, the guy already had four cards! Come on...

Come on, realize what was going on...

"Now, before I end my turn," he heard, grating voice pulling him back to the duel, "I'll set another monster in defense mode..." The Ghoul's tone took a dark turn with those words, his smirk widening as the tablet appeared before him. "Here! Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress," he announced, an almost bulldozer-like image appearing to etch itself on the stone. "End turn!"

Awww hell, the blond grumbled mentally, another shield? Katsuya scowled, glancing back at his friend with a swallow. Come on come on come on... Come on! Figure it out..!

And suddenly Yugi gained a smirk, nodding to himself as if to say he'd done just that. "Hehehehehe... I know what you're planning," he said calmly, drawing his next card as both his opponent and his friend both blinked in response. He... He did?

"W-What..?" The teen's opponent tensed, paling somewhat as he held a less than confident smirk. "Impossible..! You're bluffing," he muttered with a snort, shaking his head. "You couldn't possibly have guessed my strategy within so little time-"

"I won't let you summon Exodia," Yugi stated bluntly, his smirk growing with the words. Exo... Hah... H-Hah... YES! Katsuya grinned, eyes widening as he watched the Ghoul's expression fall. YES!

"G-Gn... You..." Found it out? Damn straight. Yet even so the man smirked, dark grin returning with a nervous laugh. "Heh... True, you know my plan," he admitted, visibly swallowing back his nervousness. "But... Just what can you possibly do in one turn?" One turn? Katsuya smirked, his friend doing the same as he held his card. That was all he'd need...

"One turn," Yugi repeated, eyebrows raised. "Hn! Watch... I'll crush Exodia with this card!" he shouted, opponent paling even further. Hahaha... Three turns. He caught it in three turns, and-

...And he didn't need a warning did he, Katsuya realized with a jolt, staring at the field with a swallow. The blond's eyes drifted over the field with those thoughts, a frown appearing on his face momentarily. The Chimera was simply sitting for the moment, lion's head cleaning out its fur from the dust of its tablet. The defense mode monsters were as expected merely trapped in stone, outlines staring forward.

Heh... A small smirk came into place for a moment, Katsuya mentally shaking his head. Learned something again he told himself, the smirk fading somewhat. Yugi taught him something again. Hell, his own monster told him first...

' _Figure it out,_ ' he'd said. But more than that...

The blond swallowed, staring at the field with narrowed eyes. Time to watch his friend crush this jackass. "Here I go... First!" Yugi announced clearly, "I set a card face down on the field." With his words a blank tablet appeared at his side, the Chimera beside it rising to its feet with a low growl. "Next, for my battle phase... Chimera," he ordered, the monster growling louder at the command. "Attack the Stone Statue... IMPACT DASH!"

With an almost musical howl the monster charged forward, horns lowered toward the first of the two tablets. Twin points of impact appeared as the 'demon's head struck first, cracks spiderwebbing through the stone before a rumbling sound came through the air. Stone clattered to the ground as Yugi smirked, his opponent not even phased by the move.

"So much for your statue..."

...Or tablet Katsuya corrected mentally, watching as the ground seemingly absorbed whatever chunks of rock remained.

"Before I end my turn," Yugi continued calmly, "I'll set one more card... There! END TURN!" No..

The Ghoul across from them instantly grinned, hands moving for his deck with those words. There was something else... "Hehahahahahha! And now it's my turn," he said with a laugh, hand reaching for his deck. In just seconds, something else... "Prepare to lose... I draw-"

Now.

"I activate my spell," Yugi shouted clearly, a blade appearing on the front of the first blank tablet. The stone crumbled in on itself, leaving nothing but the sword as it shot forth in a ray of light. "Lightforce Sword! Taking one of the cards in your hand and forcing it to the field," the boy cried, blade appearing to spin in a drill like fashion as it took aim above his opponent's hand. "And I pick the second from the left!"

Oooh, good choice, Katsuya thought with a grin, watching as the blade tore towards the Ghoul's hand.

...He wasn't even going to ask how he knew that though...

Instead he watched, staring as the blade drove through the card and into the ground, an enormous block of stone forming beneath it. The stone cracked into pieces, an outline never even appearing as a writhing and kicking leg appeared pinned in the blade's grip. "Hahahahah! 'Xodia's left leg! Good goin!" Katsuya shouted, his friend merely smirking as he watched the heel-pinned 'monster' flail.

"Hn! That's not all," he said with a smirk, the second tablet at his side slowly gaining a chain-like image on its form. "With the Left Leg's summoning," Yugi said seriously, "You've activated my trap! Die!" he shouted, a chain and spear launching from the stone to skewer the left leg before worming its way into the Ghoul's deck. "Chain Destruction! Destroying not only a monster on the field," he said with a grin, Katsuya watching as links of chain tore viciously through the mummified hand's form, "But any duplicates in your deck. Hehehehehehehe... Exodia will never awaken!" Yugi shouted, both he and Katsuya watching as the boy's opponent grew steadily pale. Which meant he'd lost. But wait...

A sudden chill filled the air despite these words, all sound becoming muted.

...What the hell was going on...

Katsuya froze, Yugi's next words becoming almost soundless as the man before them shook with intense fear. ' _Your deck is DEAD,_ ' Yugi was saying, the words only dimly registering as Katsuya stared. The chill increased. But more than that...

Fire.

He swore he saw fire catch onto the Ghoul's robes, he swore...

"I lost," the man was muttering, eyes staring forward as his voice seemed to echo against nothingness. "I lost... I... I can't have..."

And again he saw fire this time not at all just a 'flash' Katsuya realized with a jolt, blood raining from his face. Flames were appearing...and he was the only one who could see them.

"It's not possible," the man muttered, flames slowly wrapping around his neck as they climbed the sides of his clothes, "Not possible... No... No..!"

Panic.

And suddenly the entire man was set ablaze, the veins on his forehead bulging forward in a twisted 'eye' shaped formation before breaking completely, blood streaming across his head as he cried in fear and misery. "No... NO... NO! He's coming!" the Ghoul wailed, Katsuya staring in horrified silence as the man's head bled. "Help... Help me please!" he screeched, hands gripping the sides of his head as he stumbled in place. "Help! AAAAHHH... AAAAH... He's coming!" the Ghoul screamed, tears streaming down his face as the blond across from him held back the last evening's supper. "He's coming, he's _COMING_!"

Teeth were digging their way out of the man's head Katsuya realized coldly, mouth hanging open in horror. Rows of sharp, dagger-like teeth, tearing a hole in the skull, digging forward like some gaping alligator's mouth...

"Yugi," Katsuya muttered, his friend merely staring forward with somewhat wide eyes as the blond swallowed. "Please tell me that's you..."

The boy merely continued to stare, arms held limp at his side in shock. "It's not..."

Not good...

"Oh God," the man was crying, holding his head tightly as an eye rolled about in the center of his face. A golden iris came into view, rolling from the bottom up as it attempted to focus, teeth growing long and needle like as they grew to take up the whole of the man's forehead. "He's here... He's here..! Malik-!"

And abruptly the eye turned forward, the man falling limp as he cut off. Or at least, for a moment...

Before with the crack of his neck, the man 'stood' with blank soulless eyes to chuckle. "Hehehehehehehehehe..."

Oh... Oh HELL.

The teeth on the man's head were surrounded by flames, single eye staring out at both of the boys across from it. But in the back of his mind, he could only think of one thing. One warning...

_'Beware,'_ he heard the Tauk mutter in his mind, mouth moving as he finished the memory's sentence. "Th' eyes tha' d'vour flames..." Oh god...

Yugi blinked, turning with a frown. "...Jonouchi?"

"Hnhnhnhn..." The boy looked back, attention switching back to the 'Ghoul' before them with a swallow. "So you're Yuugi Mutou?" an accented voice stated, only barely recognizable as a different being through the tone of the Ghoul. Oh hell. Not...

Not good...

"I've heard of you 'Yugi'," the voice continued, eye staring out from the center of the ghoul's head as the teeth moved with the words before settling into a lip-less grin. "I should tell you something... This man you see here? This is my weakest soldier," it stated calmly, voice charismatically smooth in comparison to the 'original'. "The first of the pawns to be sacrificed in a battle. The real strength of my Rare Hunters is far stronger than that, far far stronger... But I see that you are surprised," it stated calmly, the body it held not moving while it spoke to the boy. "I didn't mean to shock you... But the fact is," the voice 'lamented', a shrug almost visible to Katsuya as it continued on, "I'm no where near this plaza here, and using this shell to speak is the only way I can contact you. A little like a 'phone' really," the voice added with a 'grin', teeth vibrating somewhat as it chuckled.

This was nooooot good, not good...

And why did he have a nasty feeling that what he saw and Yugi saw were two completely different things right now...

"You see," the voice stated, "I've placed a little bit of myself in this man. Same with all those working in my control... Whatever I desire, he'll do it... With a single thought." Like... Remote control souls? What...

The boys continued to tense, those around them merely passing by as though nothing was wrong. Something strange nothing more... Gh... "You..." They swallowed, eyes narrowing as they stared forward. "Who are you?" Yugi shouted, the eye briefly 'blinking before the teeth 'narrowed' in a grin.

"Me?" More chuckling rang through the air, Katsuya continuing to force back a wave of bile at the sound. "Like you," the voice stated smoothly, "I am one chosen by the Millennium Items... But this is just an introduction," it continued, the grin darkening as the eye 'bowed'. "Nice to meet you Yugi. Hnhnhnhnhn... My name is 'Malik'... Be sure to remember that..." Flames began to roll off the body... The eye began to turn upward, teeth closing over...

"Wait!"

The two turned, blinking as Katsuya stepped forward and swallowed. What was he doing, what was he doing... Ah hell, he'd said something hadn't he?

The blond again swallowed, forcing himself to continue on. "You... What are you?" he muttered, staring directly into the eye on the ghoul's brow. The tauk he understood. Weird, but understandable, even if the tauk itself said no one else had seen it's 'true form'. And the Millennium Eye, he understood that too. Nothing but darkness and an eye because really, what else was it? But this...

"...You weren't listening?" 'Malik' questioned under his breath, Katsuya merely narrowing his eyes as he continued to stare at the 'eye'. Not him, the thought mentally, cracking his knuckles as he held his gaze. The other one. The eye. If the other two had a voice...

The eye 'blinked', before its teeth widened into an expansive grin. " _Well now ain't this interesting,_ " a voice muttered, single iris staring forward at the blond as Katsuya nodded just slightly. " _You can see me, can't yah 'blondie'..?_ "

The teen grit his teeth at the 'nickname', nonetheless nodding once more despite the more than evident confusion from his friend.

" _Hehehehehe... So you want to know who I am?_ " it asked darkly, voice completely different than that of the 'Ghoul' its owner was speaking through. " _How my 'buddy' here is talking through someone else..?_ " Katsuya merely nodded a third time, both Yugi and the 'shell' of a Ghoul staring confusedly at the unheard conversation. Again the eye blinked, grinning as it 'chuckled'. " _Hehehehehe... What can I say, that's the magic of mind control kid... Care for a taste?_ " it asked, voice taking a mutant and monstrous tone that had the blond's eyes widen just briefly before he regained his composure. Gh... Hell no...

"Tch... Takin' over people's minds," Katsuya muttered, gritting his teeth as he attempted to steel himself further. "Yer a creepy bastard, tha's f'r sure..."

The 'shell' merely stood there, teeth of the eye grinning and chuckling as Malik again spoke. "A 'bastard'?" There was a short span of silence, before Malik continued. "How 'eloquent'... So you realize the extent of my power then," 'it' continued, the body abruptly straightening out before bowing forward with his own 'smirk'. "Do you like it?" he asked, "This ability of mine... I could make him dance, make him do anything I want... Fitting for a loser like him!" he spat, both Yugi and Katsuya's expressions darkening as the 'shell' again fell 'limp'. "For all those under my 'reign' I can step in at any time I like," Malik explained somewhat loudly, "Taking their actions and making them my own. But those ghouls are elite duelists," he continued smugly, "Hired specifically to match and exceed the levels of this tournament. So I doubt I'll have to," Malik decided, the body continuing to remain motionless with the words. Gh... Bastard...

Bastard! "Malik!" Yugi growled, watching as the body swayed slightly before them in a sudden wind. "Why are you... Why are your 'Ghouls' in this tournament?" he shouted, eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... Isn't it obvious?” Malik asked, a smirk likely on the 'real one's face to match with that of the 'teeth' on the eye. "To gather the God Cards. The three great and ancient souls that have been resurrected to the modern world..." God cards...

Katsuya frowned, staring forward. Wait... He'd seen that somewhere before, back on the plaque...

' _...carved in a never-before seen representation of Egypt's three most iconic deities_ ,' the label for the tablet had said. So then... The museum carving? "Saint Dragon of the Skies, Osiris," Malik said calmly, the names appearing in Katsuya's mind before the words met the air. "Stone God Soldier of the Obelisk... And atop them both, Ra, the Sun Dragon. To he who gathers these three cards and takes the title King, let it be granted to him the powers of Darkness..." Wait...

What? What was that, a prophecy? The two boys both stared, eyes wide as Malik continued to laugh before them.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... We have two of these cards in our grasp already," the voice stated calmly, another 'invisible' shrug coming to mind. "But there's just one that's eluded our hands, held in the grip of someone in this city..." Someone... In this city...

"So tha's why they're here," Katsuya muttered, Yugi grinding his teeth beside him. The boy nodded, eyes narrowed with rage. "To get that card..." And who...

Who had it... Briefly the blond's eyes widened with realization, more snippets of past conversations coming to mind. ' _People are going to DIE in this tournament..._ '

...Seto knew this would happen, didn't she.

Whether she liked it or not. Katsuya continued to pale as the 'Ghoul' walked forward, the eye on his forehead grinning menacingly. The teeth and eyeball almost appeared to grow even larger the closer 'they' came... Slowly increasing in size, single eye staring forward. "Hnhnhnhnhn... You've met with the weakest of the Ghouls, but there are more to come... You were lucky not to meet them first," Malik said with a laugh, "And if you're even luckier you'll continue to evade their sights... But so long as this shell has lost," it continued, reaching into the body's pockets and handing a card and a plastic 'sheet' toward Yugi, "I mind as well abide by these rules..." ...What... "I'll return this card he took from your friend, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon... In addition, " Malik stated, Yugi taking the 'cards' with narrowed and confused eyes, "This puzzle card... A 'head start' to your 'six'," the voice added with a chuckle.

Six? Katsuya blinked, narrowing his eyes somewhat at that. He needed six? Six puzzle cards, he'd need to duel five times then...

"The game has just begun Yugi!" Malik shouted with a laugh, the body still slumping forward even as the teeth across the 'shell's brow widened into a grin. "You've been warned... A rare hunter with the power of God is already watching you from in this city," it stated coldly, flames continuing to whip across the air. "If you meet him, your fate will be death... I guarantee it..."

At this the two boys swallowed, narrowing their eyes. Guaranteed? "...Hn!" Why was it so easy for this guy to shrug that off god damn it... "We'll see about that," Yugi said with a smirk, pulling his cards from the disk and replacing them in his deck with a nod. "I'll be putting an end to your plan. Trust me on that... Even with your God Cards," he snarled, voice raising in volume as he stared at the 'Ghoul', "With all your power, I will not lose! I'll defeat you, Malik!"

For a brief moment they were answered with silence, the Ghoul standing only a foot away before the eye grinned once more. "...Hn... I look forward to our match then... Yugi."

" _Hehehehehe... As do I_ ," the 'eye' stated coldly, chuckling as Katsuya swallowed. " _See you later Blondie!_ " the 'Eye' shouted with a grin, flames traveling back up the eye as the teeth closed over with a laugh. " _Maybe if we're lucky_ ," it howled manically, " _We'll meet again! Kehehehehe!_ " With a sudden flare the flames extinguished, eye vanishing from sight completely...

Leaving nothing but a smooth and blood-less forehead in its place as the body of Yugi's last opponent fell forward.

Gh-! Katsuya hurried to the man's side, swallowing as he stooped down and slowly tapped the man's forehead. No blood, none at all! ...Nothing, he realized with a swallow. Nothing...

It was gone... The blond's fingers moved toward his neck, the teen standing back up with a frown. Alive, not that he deserved it. But...

Not waking up, he knew that much given what tended to happen with these things. "Out cold," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as Yugi came back from behind. That 'eye'... "Th' power t' control minds..." And more importantly, that second voice...

The voices of those things tended to sound like their owners, but with the warped version that shouted out at one point. And even more importantly than that... Where could this guy possibly be hiding? "Jonouchi." Katsuya turned, blinking as Yugi handed a card forward and jarred his friend from his thoughts. "This is yours," he stated calmly, the blond looking over the card and his friend in silence. Red-Eyes...

" _Rnnnnn..._ " Briefly his eyes widened, honing in on a small, miniature version of the dragon itself. It... Red-Eyes! The monster yawned, curling up on Yugi's shoulder as it stared toward the blond somewhat sleepily. It was...

His monster...

... Ah... He smirked, bowing his head as he turned away. Of course... "Sorry Yugi," he said, looking back at his friend with somewhat sad eyes. "I can't take this... 'F I take tha' card," he continued, frowning somewhat as both his friend and the dragon listened closely, "I feel like it'll jus' take me farther from bein' th' kind 'f guy I'm tryin' t' be... A 'true duelist', y' know?"

His friend continued to stare, expression shifting as the blond swallowed and sighed. Red-Eyes... Heh.

He looked pretty comfy on his best friend's arm, hahaha... "...Tha' Red-Eyes Black Dragon," he muttered, a small 'rn?' barely meeting his ears. "Tha' Red-Eyes means more t' me than any monster in th' world," the blond admitted, smirking somewhat as the dragon looked at him and tilted its head. "Been my partner f'r a while now, haha..." That wasn't funny damn it... Whatever. "But y' know, it's like y' said," he decided, watching the dragon listen in with his friend as he swallowed. "Way back b'fore R'becca showed up. Monsters... They need a break 'vry once in a while," he said calmly, looking at his deck briefly before turning back. "An y' know, I've been usin' him alot lately, like a crutch... I take 'm back," he continued, looking at his friend seriously, "An' I'm not gonna grow as a fighter I don' think... Th' way I am righ' now," he continued, swallowing back another sigh, "Red-Eyes wouldn' let me fight w' 'm. Not at all..." And as the dragon nodded, he had a feeling he was being told 'damn straight'.

Haha...It hurt somehow though...

"So I'm gonna leave 'm with you," Katsuya decided, nodding his head as the dragon gave a happy croon in response. Heh... So this was the right answer then. "I'll be fine w' this deck after all," Katsuya continued, nodding again. "An' f'r my ante, I've still got th' Time Wizard..." He hadn't used that guy for a while actually... "I'm gonna be a 'true duelist', y' hear?" he said with a grin, before the expression died down to a serious one yet again.

"...Jonouchi," Yugi asked as silence settled between them, the dragon as well giving a questioning rumble. One last thing...

"...Listen... Yugi," he asked, eyes drifting to the dragon on his friend's shoulders yet again as he spoke. "Can y' promise me somethin?" he asked, the boy before him remaining silent as he listened. "...If... If I do alrigh' in th' tournament," he continued, "An th' time comes where I c'n call myself 'ready' f'r Red-Eyes again... Will you fight me?" he asked, looking into his friend's eyes as the boy stared. "Can y' look after Red-Eyes 'till then... And at tha' time, fight me?" The answer...

Was instantaneous. And thankfully, unforeseen. He was kinda sick of constantly getting heads up to things he didn't want to know beforehand. "Of course," his friend said with a nod, smirking. "Let's do it, Jonocuhi!" Katsuya nodded, sighing in relief. Hah...

Thanks... "Thank you, Yugi..." Thanks...

Now then...

"...Alrigh'!" he shouted, turning away and looking at the crowd. "Tournament's jus' gettin' started! WHO WANT'S A PIECE 'F ME!" he called out, grinning. "LET'S GO!" When the time came...

Wait for him, Yugi, Red-Eyes. When the time came, he'd be ready.

* * *

It was half an hour since the tournament start he realized fairly quickly. After all that happened earlier he'd decided he was tired of running, and looking at the clock as he walked. 9:30. Well...

Yugi hadn't started his duel officially until nine... There had to be a reason for that he decided, hands stowed in his pockets for the moment. Even so he only had so many shots at this before he was out again. He couldn't let that happen. So...

First off. "Hah... Where t' go," he muttered, looking around with a frown.

" _Rnnnnaaaaaaaa..?_ " Heh..? Katsuya blinked frowning as a small 'growl' came from the side. That noise... Another monster? Hell, if Red-Eyes was 'real' and snuggling up for a well needed vacation... (What was he, a cat?)

The blond turned around the corner, frowning for a moment. No monsters here but... He shook it off for a moment, a grin coming on his face as he looked down the next street.

"A-Ah! A duel!" Would you look at that... But then where the hell was the monster? Something brushed against his side, the blond looking down and blinking.

" _Rnnnnnn..._ " Raptor... It was... Just a brown, striped raptor, nothing to see... What the hell...

Wait. "O-Oi," he muttered under his breath, watching the dinosaur tilt its head to the side. "You're th' one from-"

"Aha! Just as I predicted!" a voice called out, the blond's attention moving toward the two duelists further down the road. Eh?

Standing tall behind a momentarily unknown duelist a monster cloaked in a metal-lined, skin-tight cloak glared forward, mouth replaced with a breathing mask and goggle-like eyes staring sightlessly toward the large serpent-like monster across from it. A dragon, he wondered briefly, looking at the enormous, 'mouthless' beast. But the one fighting with it was...

"Ah... Ryuzaki..?" Against 'Esper Roba' he realized, watching as the teen gleefully unveiled a trap from the blank tablet on his side. The psychic from Ishikawa he continued to recall, watching a simple carving appear on the stone before hacking itself free.

...But why was Ryuzaki using a dragon _again_? Roba smirked, a pendulum lulling his opponent's dragon to sleep before the monster behind him destroyed it in a single glance. A laser shot from the being's two fingers. Shot directly between the dragon's eyes, with a strong and almost explosive burst of electricity...

And the monster collapsed, dead, Katsuya watching as Ryuzaki grit his teeth in response. "Heh!" Roba grinned, crossing his arms as the monster behind him 'shrugged' out of existence. "I win..!"

"Aggggggh..." Katsuya blinked, the small dinosaur he'd spotted earlier walking over and looking up at Ryuzaki with worried eyes as the field 'cleared'. Eh? It was his then? "I couldn't even touch his life points," he groaned, looking at the card he'd played as he grit his teeth. "That was awful!" Not even a scratch? Against _Ryuzaki_?

_'You see that?'_ the crowd was muttering, eyes wide with disbelief. ' _Ryuzaki couldn't do a thing... Esper Roba's won two matches already_!' R-Really!

Two?! "Now then Ryuzaki," Roba drawled, standing over the teen as both he and the raptor beside him turned to face the match winner. What now? "Your rarest card... And puzzle card as well," he continued, holding his hand out. "If you please..."

"Shit..." Ryuzaki looked back at his card, pulling the locator card from his disk with a swallow. "Damned _baka_..." Nice insult there? ...Wait, Osaka. Right... The teen continued growl under his breath, nonetheless nodding as he handed over the two cards. Briefly he could see the same snakelike dragon looking back at its former owner with worry... But only briefly.

"Hmp! This is your best card?" Roba asked with raised eyebrows, smirking as he pocketed it. The dragon it represented gave a small shudder, narrowing its eyes in response. "I can't use this in my psychic deck... But it'll prove a good trade..." Not that the dragon was too pleased about that... Though now, the dragon was also fading from existence. "NOW!" he shouted, looking out at the crowd as Katsuya moved over to stand behind Ryuzaki. "Who will be next to fight me?"

' _I'll pass,_ ' duelists in the crowd were muttering, shaking their heads in response. _'I don't know if he really has ESP , but I don't have a chance if he can see my cards!_ '

_'Yeah.. No thanks_ ,' another muttered, Katsuya merely raising his eyebrows at the 'ESP'. ' _I'll play someone else..._ ' ESP... Heh! Now that he thought about it the blond noted, that was pretty close to his weird ass dreams and flashes huh...

No way a fight against Roba would be that bad. He cracked his knuckles, nodding to himself at the thought. Yeah... "Don't even think about it Jonouchi..."

"E-Eh?" The blond turned, blinking as Ryuzaki gave him a frown and adjusted his hat. What? "Ryuzaki..." That raptor was still there...

Shouldn't it have gone back into its card or something? He shook himself, frowning somewhat. "Whatdya mean, 'don't think about it'?" he said with a scowl, looking back at Roba briefly. "He can't be that bad!"

The teen shook his head, looking back at Roba with a nervous expression. "Well guess what, he is! I don't know how," he continued with a swallow, "But he can tell what cards are in your hand right off the bat. He predicts your strategy and works around it! If he beat me, then there's no way you even stand a chance... And you and I both know that it was luck that won our last match," he continued, gritting his teeth as he looked back at the blond. Alright, ignoring that...

...

...Yeaaaaah, Ryuzaki had a point given how he won that match... Still. He was a lot better now!

"You're completely serious about this?" he asked, looking back as Roba continued to question the crowd. "You really think I can't beat him?" Ryuzaki nodded, sweating visibly under the hat on his head.

"Yeah," he said seriously, the unseen raptor at his side also staring at Roba with narrowed eyes. "There's not a chance in hell! I might be an ass," he said dryly, rolling his eyes at the blond, "But I'm still honest." Yeah yeah yeah...

Way to admit your faults. Speaking of hell, wouldn't he bet that the place was cold as ice compared to Ryuzaki's temperature in that hat and jacket? Well...

Regardless of that. "Heh... In that case, I'll beat him!" he decided, smirking as he again cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.

"Wh..." Ryuzaki blinked, shaking himself. "Say again..."

Katsuya grinned, looking back at Ryuzaki. "'F course! Step one t' becomin' a true duelist!” he said clearly, clicking his disk into place as Roba looked over. "Don't pass up an opponent, no matter what... An' step two!" he added somewhat louder, watching as Roba took his own fighting stance, "Fight opponents that seem stronger than y, whenever y' can!"

"Ah... W-What..." Still the teen behind him continued to stare, confusion more than evident. "What the hell." Eh, he didn't expect Ryuzaki to get it really...

"Let's do this, y' ESP freak!" Katsuya shouted, Roba raising his eyebrows in slight humor. "I don' care how 'psychic' y' are... Duel!"

With that Roba smirked, nodding. "Well then," he decided, re-loading his deck. "How can I refuse?"

"Aagghhh..." Ryuzaki groaned, hand finding a near permanent home on his forehead. "I don't know if you're an idiot or just... Nevermind..." Heh... Maybe he didn't know 'now', but by the end of this? 'ESP'... Hah! He'd show this guy what 'precognition' really was! ...Provided he got a flash during the duel.

Couldn't really predict that.


	9. Eyes That See The Future

Domino was known for relatively few things among the Tokyo area in comparison to the rest of its special wards. Unlike other well known districts of the city such as Shibuya or Shinjuku, it was far from a tourist hot spot, and possibly the least populated ward of all of them. There was just a small pier on the shore, a single train station, and the 'highlight' of the area, 'Kaiba-Land'. Besides this, there were only two things that Domino was quickly gaining a name for.

One was its museums, which had a habit of focusing on the Egyptian and Grecian side of Archaeology, its exhibits gaining a relatively small number of visitors per day. The other however was its gaming industry, particularly encouraged by 'Kaiba Corporation' in recent days...

An encouragement that had quite literally 'taken over' the city at the moment, earning the event taking place at the rather appropriate name of 'Battle City'...

Much to the distaste of any vehicle owner attempting to enter the district.

As for its competitors...

He was dueling one right now, for what would be his first match of the day. "Alrigh' y' ESP freak!" he said with a grin, duel disk at the ready as he stared down his current opponent. "Lets go!"

"First," Roba said plainly, "Lets confirm each other's ante! Mine is Psycho Shocker," he stated, holding the card out. "Along with, of course, a puzzle card..."

The blond nodded, digging through his deck to find his own ante. He had to say, he was a little surprised about Roba's appearance... He'd heard of this guy, but he'd never seen him. He looked almost foreign.

Though thinking about it, he probably shouldn't have been making those assumptions when he himself was blond... Katsuya shook it off, continuing to flip through the cards before holding out his own ante. "Mine's th' Time Wizard," he called out with a nod, before replacing it in his deck. "An' I'll offer my Puzzle Card jus' like you are," he added, opponent nodding in response.

"Very well! Lets start the duel then, shall we?" he said with a smirk, replacing the card in his deck before moving his puzzle card to a pocket. Yeah...

Katsuya nodded, watching his deck shuffle itself before looking forward. All or noth- "Hey hey hey... Jonouchi," Ryuzaki called from the side, a slight frown on his face. He turned, blinking as the teen continued to scowl. "If you're using your Time Wizard, then what the hell did you do with my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Errrr...

"Oh... Ah... My dragon!" He laughed somewhat, before shaking his head. "Ahhh..." Yeah... The blond coughed, shrugging it off with a slight sigh as he turned back to his opponent. "I screwed up, Red-Eyes ended up stolen..."

Oh, maybe he shouldn't have said that... Ryuzaki was red in the face now... "WHAT-"

"I got 'm back!" he added quickly, shaking his head and ignoring the continued growl from the side. "But someone's holdin' on t' 'm for me... My rival," he clarified, turning back to face his opponent. "Yugi..."

"Your... Your rival?" Ryuzaki repeated, looking somewhat dumbfounded in response. "... _Yugi_?" he added, still staring with wide eyes. Katsuya merely nodded, still not looking back. Yep! And that was a promise he was keeping... And- "Agggghhh..." The teen behind him continued to groan, shaking his head as Katsuya glanced back. "Forget it... Better this than watching you lose Red-Eyes to a trade house," he moaned, the blond rolling his eyes in response.

Yeah yeah yeah... Way to cheer him on right? "Hn!" Katsuya drew his hand, watching as the life point meter bounced up to 4000 for the duel start. Pay that no mind... He sure as hell didn't feel like he would lose! "Alrigh'... I'm first!" he shouted, the teen across from him drawing his own hand. "Duel!" Now...

What did he have in his hand... The blond blinked, eyebrows raising as he looked the cards over. This... He smirked, the expression quickly hidden as he continued to look at the cards. This was a good hand! Well alright then he decided, reaching for one of his cards. Seeing how he'd been able to summon Red-Eyes with no trouble the night before, standard rulings would let him play a high level right off the bat, so he'd mind as well do that and...

And...

...What the hell was that sound. "Hnnnnn~" Katsuya frowned, looking across the field.

...What.

The sound increased, the blond narrowing his eyes. "HN _NNNNN~_ " ... WHAT. "I feel the energy of the cosmos," Roba muttered 'mysteriously', arms held to the skies as his opponent stared in disbelief. "Passing through my body," he whispered, "Becoming one with me..."

"O-Oi oi... What..." He blinked a few times, slowly looking back at Roba's last opponent for an answer.

"Yeah," Ryuzaki muttered, shaking his head with a sigh. "Don't ask." Gee that was helpful.

Katsuya frowned, before pulling his attention back to his opponent. "At this time, at this place," Roba was continuing on, bringing his hands to his head in a fairly 'tv-psychic'-like fashion, "I will win this duel! It is destiny... It is the law of the Cosmos!"

"L-Law of th' Cosmos?" he repeated incredulously, again blinking off his shock. Destiny? What? What the hell was wrong with this guy? The blond shook himself yet again, grabbing the card and setting it on the disk. Screw this! "Enough 'f that! Here's my card," he shouted, dust rising from the ground before him as Roba merely continued to hum. "Giltia, th' Dark Knight!"

"Hmph!" The teen before him threw his hand forward, Katsuya not paying attention as he stared at where his monster should have been. First off, Roba's hand was... Off but... Well the tablet had started to appear... "H-HEH!" The blond coughed, paling as he was left with a swirling cloud of dust. "What th' hell was that!" he shouted loudly, choking on his words. The tablet crumbled..

To DUST. At the exact moment Roba had... "What kind 'f ESP is-"

Roba shrugged, eyes closed as he cut the blond off. "It was simply the law of the cosmos..." What the- Was he serious!? What was this!

"EH!"

"Pff..." A snort came from the side, Katsuya turning as his shocked expression remained unchanged. "You MORON!" Ryuzaki shouted, looking as though he was decidedly torn between laughing and glaring at the blond. He shook his head, jaw clenched. "These are advanced rulings! Don't you know anything?" Ghnnng...

The blond scowled, clenching his fists as he turned on the teen. "Gh- Yer one t' talk, didn' you jus' say y' lost without makin' a scratch!" he shouted, face growing red. "My sister could duel better than yeh!"

Ryuzaki rolled his eyes, snorting. "Hah, yea that's a really strong insult there Jonouchi!" A smirk came on his face, the Osakan crossing his arms. "Real powerful from a guy I don't know!" Why that-!

"Gnnnnggggh.."

"...We are dueling right?" Roba asked somewhat dryly, crossing his arms as Katsuya looked back. Eh? Right... "Tch... Shut up!" he muttered, gritting his teeth as he looked back at his duel disk. Man... Leave it to Kaiba to find a way to switch between rule systems at the drop of a hat. If he'd known this before...

Roba merely snorted, shaking his head as he drew his next card. "Well... You certainly wasted your turn with that..." Yeah no shit he thought with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth. “But how about I give you some advice," he continued, closing his eyes as he raised his hands to his head yet again. Advice? Seriously? "That card on the very left of your hand... The Swordsman of Landstar," he continued, Katsuya growing pale as he looked at the card in question. "Why don't you play it on your next turn?" W...

What... The blond continued to pale, looking up from the card with wide eyes. He guessed... Right on the dot...

"How th' hell..."

"The answer is obvious isn't it," Roba said with a chuckle, the blond across from him continuing to pale. "It's telepathy... The skills of one whose mind is synonymous with the cosmos..." S-Skills? And 'cosmos' again? What was this guy! "I have achieved a state of absolute enlightenment," the teen continued, eyes closed in false serenity as the crowd stared. "My awareness transcends time and space both!" H-Hihhhh... "We're both human, Jonouchi," Roba continued, Katsuya's fear quickly replaced with confusion. "We're made of the same cells... By my power I AM you," he said dangerously, "And I AM your cards!" He... 'Was' his cards? But they were all...

He blinked, tilting his head somewhat. That made no sense whatsoever... And given that Ryuzaki was shrugging as well, he was just as clueless. So...

What? "Well now," Roba called out, pulling Katsuya's attention forward again as he set a card on the field. "It's my turn..." A tablet appeared slightly to the side and front of him, an almost rose coloured mist seeping through the outline on its form. "I summon Cyber Raider," the teen cried, a spandex clad warrior literally flipping out from the tablet before cracking his neck. "And seeing how you have no monsters," he continued, a dark smirk on his face as his monster took a stance. Oh fuck. "ATTACK DIRECTLY!" Roba commanded, the Raider clenching his fists with a nod. "CYBER KNUCKLE!"

Oh fuck. " _No hard feelings kid_ ," the raider muttered, audible cracks sounding through the air as he adjusted his helm. FUCK.

The warrior charged with a low shout, a single solid punch knocking him in the gut as the monster grabbed him roughly by the back of his jacket. "G-GOH... Ugh..." He bowed his head, slumping as the jacket was released. G-Ghnn... Ow ow ow ow ow... "N... Not so hard!" he hissed under his breath, watching as the monster shrugged and began walking back.

" _Hey, standard procedure_ ," he muttered, shaking his head. " _Not my fault if you're more 'sensitive'_." Gh-! More sensitive he growled mentally, pulling himself up with a growl. That...

Bastaaaard... "Turn over," Roba stated calmly, a smirk on his face as his opponent groaned. Ung... Note to self... Whenever possible, put up a defense... Ghk...

"My turn then," he hissed, rubbing the still tender bruise before drawing his card. "Draw..." Okay... Okay... He blinked, eyes trailing over his 'Graceful Dice' before slipping it into his hand with a nod. Just one monster in his hand then. Alright... He didn't have any monsters strong enough for a defense at the moment then... He'd have to gamble on this card.

"Hnnnnn~" Oh for fuck's sake... Katsuya grit his teeth, watching as his opponent again held his hands to his head. "Hnnnnnnnnn~..." Gh... Fucking nutjob... Cut the crap already! "Channelling complete," Roba stated calmly, the blond rolling his eyes as he clenched his teeth. "Your draw... A second Graceful Dice, wasn't it?" he 'asked', a smirk on his face. "At least... That's what I've been told." Second-

Katsuya's eyes widened, nonetheless holding his tongue as his opponent continued. "Does it shock you?" the teen asked, a smirk on his face as his opponent's cold expression went unnoticed. "This telepathy... This gift from the cosmos!" Gift? Pfh!

Gift his ass, this was no-

"As we speak," Roba stated in a near whisper, "Communicating with me is the spirit of Pegasus J. Crawford, creator of Duel Monsters... He who was tragically murdered a few months ago..."

Tragically-

"Wh..." The blond dropped his thoughts, instantly going cold at the mention. "Pegasus is... Dead..?"

The crowd around them fell silent with that question, Katsuya slowly turning back to look at Ryuzaki in response. Alright, he might not pay attention to the news but...

"...Is he serious?" There was nothing funny about that one.

The crowd continued their silence, nervous glances exchanged as questioning stares looked back. "...Are YOU?" Ryuzaki finally asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "That made the news in January... They couldn't even find his body!" he added, Katsuya swallowing in response.

J... January? "I'm still waiting," Roba muttered, eyes narrowed as both teens looked back. The so-called psychic crossed his arms, a smirk appearing on his face. "Whether you are aware or not," he drawled, "This doesn't change the source of my 'power'... I know every card in your hand Jonouchi..." Every card eh? "You might as well make your move!" Tch...

Was he for real? The blond grit his teeth, before a wicked smirk came into place and he shook his head. Hehehehe... 'ESP'. Katsuya hid his expression, keeping his gaze lowered as a short plan came to mind.

This guy could tell what cards he had, but not by some 'cosmic power'! "I'll make my move alrigh'!" he growled, grabbing his first card and setting it on the disk. "First," he shouted loudly, tablet appearing at his side in a rise of dust, "I'm playin th' Swordsman 'f Landstar!" More dust flowed through the tablet as its outline appeared,a small alien-esque warrior leaping out with a shout. Heh... "An' then," he continued, grabbing his next two cards and slipping them into the spell slots, "Two face down cards..." The two blank tablets appeared at either side behind him, Katsuya looking at them from the corner of his eye for a brief moment. Heh... No problems there. "An' I end my turn!"

A 'flash' of sorts appeared in Roba's eyes, a grin appearing on the teen's face. Yeah yeah... Get excited why didn't he... Personally, if there was anything happening in the future it was 'ocean' related. He kept smelling salt water and seaweed damn it. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Well... Trying to oppose my ESP with 'luck'..." Katsuya again snapped himself out of his 'flash', staring across the field. "I'll accept your challenge!" Roba announced, drawing his next card with a smirk. Challenge?

Feh! Katsuya snorted, shaking his head as the teen continued.

"I sacrifice Cyber Raider to summon a new monster," he was shouting, expression serious as both the monster and tablet ground to dust on the field. Smoke rose from the air, slowly taking form. Initially it resembled an odd shaped cloud... But within seconds, standing a few feet taller than than its summoner it appeared, armor shining to an almost blinding extent in the sunlight. "Arise! The Fiend, Megacyber!" Gh... 2200 Attack. Well, a monster had been summoned in any case...

Which meant that it was now or never. "Activate magic card," Katsuya shouted, gesturing to the leftmost blank tablet at his side. The carved outline of a white winged 'imp' appeared at his command, die in hand as it floated from the crumbling stone. The more the stone crumbled, the clearer it appeared... Until finally it rose high into the air and prepared to drop the die. "Here goes," he muttered, watching as it was released from the imp's hand. "Graceful Dice!"

Katsuya stared as the die clattered on the ground, the imp who had held it vanishing into a cloud of dust. Come on... Come on... He needed a five or a six, a five or a six... The die continued to roll across the ground, rolling, rolling... Was that a six? ...No.

No... It was a three. Damn.

"Ahahaha! Too bad," Roba shouted with a grin, the Swordsman across from him merely pulling a face at the teen as his attack power rose. "Even with 1500 attack points" he shouted, Katsuya merely staring across in silence, "Your monster is no match for mine!" Oh really? The blond merely narrowed his eyes, watching as the metal giant before them raised a clawed hand and took aim. "Fiend Megacyber," Roba ordered, an outline appearing on Katsuya's second tablet with the words. "ATTACK!"

"Heheheheheh..." Those around blinked, frowning as Katsuya abruptly smirked. "Activate trap card!" he shouted, the more demonic of imps appearing as its tablet broke itself into nothingness. The blackcapped imp rose above the ground, die spinning in hand with a mad cackle as his opponent tensed. "SKULL DICE!"

"A.. A trap!"

"Wait," Ryuzaki muttered with a frown, the die dropping to the ground to clatter about the field in the meantime. "He said your _second_ Graceful dice before..." The smirk grew, Katsuya watching as the die landed on a five. Hehehehe...

Math wasn't his strong point, but with a roll like that... "Tha's right," the blond muttered, nodding in response. "But would y' look at that!" he said with a grin, the die and imp both vanishing into a cloud of dust that enveloped the opposing monster. "Now it's yer monster whose attack is lower!" Right down to 440 he added mentally, watching as the dust gummed up the monster's joints and eroded its metal. Nothing but a walking scrap heap now, with its arm slowly and painfully falling forward with a screech. Hehehehe... "An' since yer still attacking..."

The swordsman gave a curt nod at that, leaping forward to ram his blade as far into the gap in the armor as possible. Though no blood appeared, it evidently did the trick. Slowed movements halted completely and the beast gave a howling moan, clattering backward before scattering into pieces until nothing but piles of metal remained.

And even then, it was only for an instant. "Ah..." Roba stared, eyes wide with horror at the intense loss. "AHHHHHH..." Heh... Not a bad hit.

"Hn!" Katsuya snorted as his opponent paled, crossing his arms. "Th' reason you thought I had two 'f th' same card in my hand... I'm bettin' it's be'case they were on top 'f each other," he decided with narrowed eyes, "So you only saw th' word 'Dice'! You don' have telepathy!" he growled, looking up at the buildings behind him with narrowed eyes. In an instant, despite the distance being too much and the sun being in his eyes... He still knew they were there, whoever 'they' were. Tch... "Someone here is PEEKIN' AT MY CARDS!"

Now that got a reaction. The crowd went red, most either gasping in shock or muttering among themselves as the accused in question chocked. "Cheating!" Ryuzaki growled, eyes growing wide as he stood at the sidelines. Briefly he'd followed Katsuya's gaze, looking back at Roba and gritting his teeth. It only took a second for him to begin shaking in his own anger however. "Gh... You're telling me he's BUGGED?" he snarled, turning back on the blond's opponent with wide and incensed eyes. "You fucking-"

"G-Gh... Now now..." Now now? Hahaha, like that would hold the crowd back. "D-Don't make baseless claims," Roba said with a slight laugh, shaking his head as the crowd continued to sour. "There's... There's no reason..."

"'Baseless' my ass!" Ryuzaki roared, cutting the teen off. "He caught you red-handed!"

Roba continued to tense, swallowing as mutterings at the side began to pick up. "Gh..."

"Oiii, Ryuzaki," Katsuya growled, turning on the teen with narrowed eyes. The teen in question blinked, eyebrows raised as the blond scowled. "Stay outta this, thi' 's my duel!"

"Wh-Wh-!" The Osakan tensed, before scowling as well. "What the hell man, I'm helping you!"

Well don't! "I don' care!"

"Oh please..." The two turned, blinking as Roba managed to regain his composure. Huh... That was quick... Ish. "Spies... 'Cheats'... Don't make me laugh," he continued, shaking his head with a sigh. "If that's so then just how would I be getting information? And from where?" the teen pressed, Katsuya flushing. Yeah...

He couldn't really say 'I just do' or 'Because I saw it in my head' with these things...

"You've only won one turn Jonouchi," Roba growled, eyes narrowing dangerously as the blond snorted in response. "So you might as well accept your fate!" His fate? Seriously? "After all... A guess with no basis is just 'speculation'," Roba muttered, again shaking his head. "And as for my predictions... Well, all of them come true, 100% of the time... As I said before," he continued with a grin, Katsuya merely staring in unimpressed silence. "I will win, you will LOSE. I've never lost a duel, not even once!" he muttered, eyes narrowed. "The only reason why I couldn't make it to the championships was because of family matters after all... I can guarantee that if I continued to participate, I would have won!" Reaaaally... "There's only one thing certain in this world Jonouchi," Roba stated, grin shrinking to a darkened smirk as he held out a hand. "Fate... Destiny... The 'Future'..." Those huh?

Was that so? Katsuya as well smirked, shaking his head. Heh... Lucky for him then.

According to the resident creepy-ass eye things from thousands of years in the sand, he didn't have one. "Y' think so?" he said calmly, raising his eyebrows as Roba frowned. "I c'n tell y' this," he continued with a slight frown, "Knowin' what happens in th' future... That's gotta be a pain." Take it from him he added mentally, eyes growing somewhat dim. "But th' fact is," Katsuya muttered, the frown still in place, "I don' know what's gonna happen. I turn down th' street, I ain't gonna know what's around that corner." Not most of the time at least. "Maybe some lady's shoppin'," he said with a shrug, "Or maybe it's ev'n someone I know... But if there's one thing I do know," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "It's tha' somewhere in this city, there's someone waitin' t' fight me, waitin' for th' finals. An' somewhere, sometime, tha's jus' what I'll do! An' I know it! An' I'll fight righ' now b'cause I believe in that," he growled, clenching his fists. "So you c'n take yer 'ESP' and shove it, y' phony psychic!" Tch... Damn bastard..! And...

Why could he see the ocean?

Momentarily his senses dulled, nothing but a warm evening breeze blowing over his arms. He was wearing a jacket though, so why...

...And that smell...

The blond shook his head, clearing his vision as more laughter filled the air. Tch. There he went again... "Is that what you think?" Roba was muttering, a dangerous grin in place. Well, obviously someone was ticked. "Fine! Continue the duel," he snarled, pointing to his opponent accusingly. "I don't need powers to beat a duelist of your level!"

* * *

In all honesty he had no clue what the 'future' speech was all about. Hell, it was one of those things that kind of had him rolling his eyes. It had that whole 'it could have been in a shonen manga about friendship' air about it... The kind of thing that just didn't work out in real life. But if there was one thing that was ticking him off much more than that, it was this.

Briefly, when Jonouchi looked back with the assumption he was being spied on... His eyes met directly with the top of a nearby building. Nearby being the loose description of course...

It was at the other end of the street.

Nonetheless for the second time he narrowed his eyes and looked back at said building, paying little attention to the duel beside him at the moment. It wasn't as though much was happening. One face down card from Roba, holographic card hovering with its back to the sky... Alligator Sword summoned from Jonouchi, the monsters hovering momentarily before both of them moved for attack. But back on that building...

His eyes narrowed further, the teen pulling a face in his distaste. Well hell, even the cheapest of binoculars would match that distance if you needed to look over at someone's cards. And when he thought about it, Roba brought his hands to his head before every prediction. With most small radios...

There was a loud shout, Keiichi looking back on the field with wide eyes for a brief moment before narrowing his gaze again. Roba was 1500 points down now... But before Landstar could make his move, the so-called 'Psychic of Ishikawa' had another thing in mind.

"Activate trap card!" Roba shouted, holographic card swinging upward to reveal itself. The image of a soldier strung on marionette strings met the field, similar strings pulling the swordsman forward in a daze. "Mind Control! Hahahahaha!" God that laugh was getting on his nerves... "Now your warrior is my slave for two turns," Roba said with a grin, The 'Swordsman of Landstar' switching to his side. "Hehehehehe..."

"Gh..." Jonouchi swallowed, shaking himself in response. "What..."

Keiichi as well frowned, looking from Jonouchi to Roba with narrowed eyes. He'd waited for the second monster... "If I'd used mind control on your first monster it would have been a draw," the teen was explaining, a wicked smirk on his face. "I wouldn't have taken damage, and you'd be down two monsters," he continued, smirk widening. "But you know, that's not what I want... After all Jonouchi," Roba muttered, eyes narrowing with apparent mirth, "I need your monster alive..." Alive!

The teen turned as Jonouchi drew his card, watching as the blond moved it into place on his hand. Nothing but confusion on his face. ...God damn it! "Gh... Jonouchi!" he shouted, eyes narrowed. Had he seriously missed that? And he was the one comparing him to some younger sibling? Sheesh, he knew plenty of people who- The teen shook it off, continuing as the blond turned. "Are you dense?" he shouted, Jonouchi frowning in response. "He's using your monster as a sacrifice!"

That got a response, thankfully. "What-!"

"Gh... Ryuzaki," Roba muttered, eyes narrowed as both he and Jonouchi looked back. "Shouldn't you be taking a train back to Osaka now that you've lost?" A train? Whaaaat, feeling a little ticked?

He smirked, crossing his arms as Jonouchi set a trap on the field beside him. Eh, he had time... "Naw, I think I'll stay here," he decided, a wicked grin in place. "Now that I'm 'disqualified'," Keiichi continued with a laugh, "I'm not technically cheating... And neither is he, at least not according to the rules," the teen added, grin widening. Just in case he decided to try something... "Besides," he added darkly, grin taking a similar turn with his tone. "I really want to see you lose..."

Roba grit his teeth, nonetheless looking back to the field and drawing a card. "Tch... Then prepare to have your hopes shattered again," he said with a grin, Keiichi scowling in response. Yeah yeah, rub it in asshole... "It's my turn!" the teen shouted, "And I play this... Brain Control!"

The card appeared instantly on the field, holographic image of two hag's hands around a human brain revealing itself to the crowd. In an instant the Alligator Sword was under its spell, Jonouchi's second monster moving over to Roba's side. Two monsters...

"Gh- Shit, not again," Jonouchi growled, Keiichi merely narrowing his eyes. Two sacrifices meant level 7 and up. Which meant...

"That's right," Roba said with a laugh, grabbing his next card from his hand. "Now your monster is mine! And you know what that means..." The others grit their teeth, faces growing red as Roba laughed. So damn annoying..! "I'm sacrificing them both!" he shouted, swirls of light enveloping the two controlled monsters. The card was placed on the field, flipping upwards as the swirls fused for a third monster. Oh shit...

No...

"Calling forth the mighty cyborg..." Green and black 'robes' with metal... Oh hell no... "PSYCHO SHOCKER!" The monster stood tall with a loud 'grunt', gloved hands curled into fists as it crossed its arms.

Though where Jonouchi was looking was beyond him, given how high up his eyes were turned. "Psy-Psycho shocker," the blond was repeating, Keiichi nodding with narrowed eyes.

He clenched his fists, growling under his breath as he looked back at the cyborg. "Yeah... The same monster that did me in," he muttered, gritting his teeth. More importantly...

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Stop LAUGHING! "And Psycho Shocker possesses a special ability," Roba said smugly, crossing his arms as the monster stood tall before him. "He can detect... And destroy," he added as a 'seeming' after thought, "Any and all trap cards!" With those very words a laser shot from the cyborg's eyes, blasting through the face down card on Jonouchi's field. The blond held an arm up to his face, gritting his teeth in the light. But wait...

Why was he looking to the side? "Tch... Gone," the blond muttered, Keiichi's eyes narrowing further as he looked at the jacket sleeve. What the hell...

Had something cut it? "Hehehehehe..." More of Roba's aggravating chuckling pulled his attention away, the Osakan looking back to his previous opponent. "So long as Psycho Shocker is on the field," the teen was saying with a grin, "Your trap cards are useless... And now that I've eliminated your trap," he added with a shrug, "I have no reason not to kill you now! Go, Psycho Shocker!" he ordered, Jonouchi paling to a near ghost white shade from where he stood. Oh shit, this wouldn't be good.. "ATTACK DIRECTLY, with CYBER ENERGY SHOCK!"

"Tzzt! Gh-!" From his own view it appeared to be a standard direct attack. Psycho Shocker developed a blast of sparking energy between his hands, an enormous sphere gathering in its palms before it shot it forward at Jonouchi. With the holograms there was even a warning in the box that getting thrown back as a result of 'solid vision' was likely. That the company wasn't responsible for the little bit of road rash, or any 'stumbles'. But as Jonouchi skidded across the ground...

He noticed something that was just as weird as the 'scuff marks from nowhere'. First off he noted, the blond went almost limp, stiffening in a literally shocked position, the posture one would get if they stuck a fork in an outlet, or if they were struck by lightning. Second however...

After flying back by at least five feet more than the warning covered... "...Sparks..." He saw...

Keiichi stared with wide eyes as the blond pulled himself up, twitching. It was impossible but... There were sparks jumping from him. Moreover...

He sniffed, swallowing back his unease as an acrid scent met his nostrils. "And smoke..."

There was definitely a small bit of smoke on the air he realized quickly, and yet as Roba laughed wickedly, taunting Jonouchi and telling him to give in, the blond didn't even shout. ' _Give up,_ ' Roba was calling out. ' _You don't have a chance!_ ' Hell, even he had to admit that but...

...If their last duel was any sign he told himself, eyes growing somewhat dim, Jonouchi was good at comebacks. "Give up?" he 'asked', standing up and staggering to his feet. "Heh.. You WISH!" the blond snarled, slowly moving back to his former position on the field. "If I do that... My future ain't worth shit!"

* * *

But even with those words he mentally grumbled, wincing as he bit his lip. Even with that...

"Hah... Gh... Ghah... Hah..." That hurt! That fucking hurt! "Ghng..." Damn it... What was it about voltage and amperage and pain? Something important? ...Yeah. Well... It hurt.

But even so... The blond shook himself, blinking it off as his vision cleared up. His turn... It was his turn now. And whether it happened or not, he was doing his best to get to those finals damn it. To that place where Yugi would be waiting...

He grit his teeth, looking forward as he steadied himself from another wave of fatique. Man... That 'Psycho Shocker', he noted, swallowing as he looked across the field. He was a quiet guy. Not a single sound came from him, not a grunt or a whisper... But despite having lenses for eyes...

There was something there. "...I have to get there," he stated calmly, taking a shaking breath as he addressed both his opponent and the teen's monster. "Because I made a promise," he growled, closing his eyes for a moment. "And that means I can't lose... Plain an' simple."

"Plain and... Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!" Tch... Katsuya grit his teeth, watching as the teen continued to laugh. "Dream all you like," Roba shouted with a grin, eyes filled with an almost desperate rage. "It'll never happen! Your only future is defeat, can't you accept it," he roared, the blond merely narrowing his eyes in silence. "Think about it... 200 lifepoints left, not a single monster on the field... Whereas I have Psycho Shocker, one of the strongest in the game!" Oh stop bragging already damn it! This was worse than watching Yugi fight Seto... "If there's a way for you to win," Roba said with a laugh, "I'd like to see you even try!" Try? Hn!

He'd do more than that. Nonetheless he held his tongue, merely watching as the teen gestured for him to continue. "Now... Hurry up! It's your turn... 'Mutt!'"

. . .

He just... . . . ...Mutt? A broken smile came on Katsuya's face, the blond swallowing as the insult rang through his head. No... There was no way another person had... "You... You just called me..." He drew his card, clenching his jaw as his eyes grew wide with rage. Mutt, Mutt, Mutt...

_God damn it, he wasn't a fucking DOG_! Why the hell did everyone link him to those things! He had nothing to do with them!

Errr _raaaaagghhh_!

He looked at his card, eyebrow twitching somewhat. Alright, his draw...

The twitch continued, a somewhat high-pitched growl meeting his ears as he looked it over. " _Rnnnnnnn..?_ " Baby Dragon. The only monster card he had in his hand.

...But at least it was telling him he wasn't giving in. He swallowed, taking in a deep breath as he put the card in his hand. Well... Dragon or no, he had no choice at this point. He grabbed a different card from his hand, swallowing as he looked it over before sighing. All or nothing...

He wasn't losing here! "I play th' spell card Scape Goat!" he announced, setting the card on the disk and watching as the tablet appeared from the ground. Four carved goats slowly appeared on its cover, the first of the carvings filling with smoke as a dozing orange 'kid' rolled out from the stone. In its place three other carvings remained, the single goat giving a quiet yawn as it slumbered on the ground. "Nnnnnnmmmm..." ...Heh. It was kinda cute actua-

...Not the time for that!

He shook himself off, looking at the tablet for a moment before looking back to Roba. "End turn," he called out, blowing a bit of hair from his face only for it to stick back on his skin. Awww shit...

Thanks to that last attack from Psycho Shocker his hair was sticking to his face... Damn it...

Stupid static... "Hn... Get ready then," Roba shouted, drawing his next card and glancing at it for a moment. "...Heheheheheh... First, the spell 'Brain Amplifier," he shouted, the tablet behind Psycho Shocker suddenly shifting in form. Across the monster's head was carved a helm of sorts, circuitry and wires slowly carving into place. And with the last line a wash of smoke came over it, a similar wave appearing on the real monster to create a real-life counterpart for his head. "Equipped to Psycho Shocker!" A helmet? Wait...

Katsuya swallowed as the Psycho Shocker began clenching his fists, power surging from the helm on his brain. Sparks of electricity flew, short grunts entering the air as the blond paled.

Oh fuck. "His attack raises by 500 points," Roba explained, a fact that Katsuya found himself already knowing. "But that's not all... From this turn on," he added darkly, the blond's blood continuing to drain from his face, "His attack power raises by a further 300 points for every turn afterward! AhahahahaHAH!" M-More..? It was going to increase more!

But it was already at 2900! The blond swallowed, his 'scapegoat' stirring somewhat as it was joined by a second from the smoking tablet behind it. The blue goat shook itself off somewhat, turning forward as its owner looked to them in confusion. Two? But why-

"And in addition to that..." Shit. He had a feeling he knew now. "I summon the Reflect Bounder!"

Shiiit...

Katsuya swallowed as another tablet appeared from the ground, the carved image of a legless robot of sorts appearing on its cover. "A monster capable of reflecting any attacks back to his opponents! In other words Jonouchi," he shouted, blond staring as the second carved tablet gave way to the mirror-armored robot, "Even if you summon a new monster, you attack me and you die! So you might as well give up while you can," he shouted with a grin, the blond continuing to stare with wide eyes in silence, "Because there will be no miracle for you..." Gh...

Shit... A mirroring monster. Awwww...

"I've said it once, twice... Three times before," Roba muttered darkly, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as well. "You will not win... Now... Psycho Shocker, Reflect Bounder," Roba called, pointing the monsters forward, "ATTACK! CYBER ENERGY SHOCK ... and MIRROR BEAM! " Gh-! Shit, if those hit-

" _Mnnnaaaaaa!_ " Katsuya watched as the two goats jumped into the line of fire, the final goats hopping out of their tablet as the stone itself crumbled away. The stricken kids bleated in pain as the harsh light eradicated their wool, setting the two ablaze as their owner winced. Gh...

Worse than watching his last two monsters get 'eaten' by Psycho Shocker's tablet to summon it...

And now... "Two goats down," he muttered with a wince, mad laughter meeting his ears.

"And two left," Roba finished, grinning menacingly as his opponent looked up with narrowed eyes. "Hahahahhaha! And if I summon one more monster and attack with all three," he continued with a laugh, "I win... In fact, you might as well say I HAVE won," the teen stated, expression falling. "So why don't you surrender? Before you embarrass yourself," he added, narrowing his eyes. Why not? Really...

The way he was going on, it was like he was begging him... Now that was just plain weird.

Heh... "...It's my turn," he said darkly, the teen across from him growing red.

"You... You..." Hn? "WHY WON'T YOU GIVE UP!" he roared, eyes wide as his opponent merely stood calmly in place. "WHY!"

"Why?" The blond snorted, drawing his card and setting it on the disk without looking at it. Tch... Wasn't it obvious? "Because I'm a duelist." And now...

A large round tablet arose from the center of the field, a grin appearing on Katsuya's face. Hehehehehe... He'd show this asshole to call him a 'mutt'. "I play this!" he shouted, waving his hand as the large 'roulette' wheel revealed the outline of an almost toon-like arachnid on its form. "Roulette Spider!"

Smoke and dust filled the air with his words, evaporating from the carved lines of the stone disk. Launching forward from the tablet without warning the red and black spider wrapped itself around Psycho Shocker's face to pull him into the center. " _GNN_!" Hn?

He say something? The blond pushed it from mind, instead listening and staring as his opponent began to panic. "W-What... A roulette table..! What?" Was that what he saw? Looked more like that weird-ass stone wheel he'd seen at the museum really...

It was some kind of board game? Eh. Katsuya merely grinned darkly, watching as the monsters on the field organized themselves in an almost circular formation about the stone disk. "Hehehehehe... Th's card's a real big gamble," he said with a smirk, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Playin' this costs half my life points... Course w' only 200 left," he added with a grin, '"Half' isn't much a deal is it?"

"But what..." Roba swallowed, eyes wide as he continued to stare as the wheel. "What do you even expect to do with this?" he shouted, "What-" Psh!

It was right there wasn't it? "Take a look!" he shouted, pointing at the spider in the field as it continued to cling to the Psycho Shocker's face. "Th' Roulette spider blinds th' strongest monster on th' field, an' spins round an round at my word... An' when it's done spinnin'," he continued, "Tha' monster attacks! You said it yerself," Katsuya said with a smirk, watching as Psycho Shocker continued clawing at the spider on his face. "Psycho Shocker's th' strongest one here... What's more," he added with a grin, "Th' possible targets 'r all monsters on th' field, plus us... If it stops on one 'f us, we're dead," he said plainly, watching as Roba grew even paler. "So when y' think yer' safe, go ahead an' shout stop!" he added with a laugh, pointing forward as the spider gave a cackle. "After all... If y' really have ESP," the blond muttered darkly, "Then this'll be easy righ'?"

Nothing but silence filled the air with that, Roba's face falling further and further. After all... One of them was going to 'die' now.

But it wouldn't be him.

"Roulette Spider!" he shouted, the spider giving a small chuckle in response. "SPIN!"

" _Hihihihihi~_ " With a crank the spider took off, using seemingly nothing as a kick-off force. The colours of its body blurred against the air, Psycho Shocker as well spinning rapidly as it gripped its own shoulders tightly. Spinning, spinning, spinning...

Roba's expression continued to fall, the teen growing paler by the second as it continued. "Hh... Ghhh..." Hey now...

It wasn't going to stop on its own... " _GRHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! STOOOOOOOPP!_ " Katsuya jumped somewhat, eyes widening briefly as he looked into the center. W-Woah...

...Looked like Psycho Shocker... Could... Speak. Um...

That was weird. "H...Gh... STOP!" Roba cried, the spider chuckling in response as its owner as well looked back to the field. "Gh... Hnnn..."

The spider's movements slowed, clicking sounds continuing as it came to a stop. Slower... Slower...

Three... Two...

Reflect Bounder gave an audible gulp as the arrow pointed toward him, Psycho Shocker as well giving a pained sound. "It..." Roba paled, eyes wide as the two monsters 'stared' each other down. "It's pointing at..." Yep.

A grin came over Katsuya's face, the blond merely watching the field as the spell's effect ended. "T... Target... Located..."

Psycho Shocker held his hands up as the spider moved from his vision, lenses giving away no emotions whatsoever as he took aim. Here it went...

"...FIRE."

The Reflect Bounder immediately began to panic, shaking its head with a shout. " _OI OI OI-_ " In a vivid explosion the monsters eliminated themselves, the resulting fire reflected off the Bounder's corpse becoming plenty enough to be rid of the Psycho Shocker. Sparks flew from the ruined metal, leaving nothing but smoking corpses and circuits behind before the two disappeared into dust. The numbers were a 'draw' in Psycho Shocker's case of course, so there was no damage there. But against the Reflect Bounder?

"Ahhh... Aaaah... My monsters," Roba said with wide eyes, Katsuya merely watching as the roulette wheel and spider both vanished into mist. There was nothing but his two scapegoats on the field now and besides that... Roba continued to stare in disbelief, eyes wide. "They're all gone..."

Along with all but two hundred and forty of his lifepoints.

Katsuya merely snorted, grabbing his next card and setting it on the disk. "Hey hey... You fergetin' somethin?" he shouted, tablet appearing before him and slowly going up in smoke as a thickly carved outline appeared across it. "It's still my turn," the blond continued, "An' I've got one monster I haven't used yet!"

A loud yet infantile roar came over the air, orange scales breaking free of the tablet as the blond's opponent continued to pale. He might not have been he most powerful but...

Hehehe... "Let's go! Baby Dragon!"

"G-Ghhh..."

Silence and disbelief filled the air in response to the summon, Roba remaining silent as his opponent seethed. "Tch! Callin' me a Mutt," Katsuya growled, the infantile dragon shaking itself as it stretched out on the field. "I'll show you! Attack!" he shouted, the monster taking in a deep breath of air. "DRAGON BREATH!"

" _GRAAAAAAAAAAAH_!" With a wide grin the dragon took aim, blasting a strong jet of flames toward the blond's opponent. The fires wrapped around Roba completely as his lifepoints ticked down, the Baby Dragon continuing to grin at his win. It was a little weird though, watching someone catch fire only for nothing to happen. Watching someone wince and duck when in reality, they were literally in flames right there...

But as the remaining tablets and monsters cleared the field, and Roba stumbled back under that unseen pressure, he had to shake himself. It wasn't 'real'. Not to them. "...Roba," he said clearly, walking over to the teen as the remaining dust and stone vanished from the ground. "That future you saw... You should know that for me, it's never set in stone."

Not if certain spacey 'ghosts' had anything to say. ' _You have no fate._ '

...Heh. "'Cause I..." He swallowed, shaking his head. "I'm th' only one who can see mine... An' even then," he continued with a grin, laughing somewhat, "Tha's somethin that anythin' can change, at any momen' in time! Hahaha!" The grin fell, and he held out a hand as the teen before him continued slumping to the ground. "Now... I won fair an' square Roba; you owe me a puzzle card an' an ante!"

So don't hold out, because Mokuba would probably ream him out for not contacting him about the cheater. "Gh..." The blond blinked, odd chocked sounds coming over the air. Oi oi, come on... He didn't have all-

...Wait, was he... Crying?

Katsuya frowned, watching as Ryuzaki came over with a similar expression. "You..." More sounds... Shit!

He was crying! A guy that was probably about to graduate high-school, maybe already had, and he was... "All of you... DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME!" he cried with a shout, eyes red and teary despite his apparent anger. Roba looked up that the small crowd around him with rage, gritting his teeth. "You think it's fun?" he asked darkly, "You think it's a joke... Looking down on the guy who lost?" Katsuya blinked, looking over at Ryuzaki as the teen raised his eyebrows. Uh...

Fact was... Most of the crowd had moved on by this point.

And he knew _he_ wasn't looking down. "Makes you feel better, thinking 'at least I'm not a loser like him'...? Huh? WELL GUESS WHAT!" he continued, growling at the blond as Katsuya in question jumped back. "I'm not just some 'person'... I'm a chosen one, with special powers! You got that?" He... He was still going on about that!

"And you're saying that's why you hear voices?" Ryuzaki asked dryly, Katsuya shaking his head. Not helping...

"Hah... Look... Roba," he muttered, ignoring the fact that Ryuzaki was looking at him rather than the one on the ground at the moment. (Why was he staring at his jacket..?) "I ain't lookin' down on yah," he said clearly, eyes narrowed. "Hell, I don' think anyone is, I jus' had better luck! Outta anyone here," the blond continued, "I gotta be th' first t' realize that!" Hell, if he didn't, his cards would probably remind him themselves damn it... "...No one here thinks yer a loser," Katsuya told the teen, shaking his head. "If anythin'... If there's anyone lookin' down on yah... Isn' that person you?"

"SHUT UP!" Roba snarled, head bowed in defeat as the two before him jumped back. Eck! Okay, that wasn't the best point to push! "Shut up, shut up _SHUT UP_!"

"S-Sheesh," Ryuzaki muttered incredulously, "Cool down..."

Y-Yeah, what he said..! "I'm jus' sayin' Roba, y' shouldn' hate yerself so much..." Or yell, or cheat, but hey, it was a work in progress...

"I said shut up!" The two continued to frown, blinking as Roba shook on the ground. What the... "I can't lose," he hissed, head still bowed to the ground as tears ran down his face. "I can't... It doesn't matter how," he added with a shake, "Just as long as I win! As long as people look at me, because then, while they do that," the teen continued, "Then my brothers..." Wait...

"Brothers?"

Roba continued to shake, teeth grinding as his voice lowered. "No one will ever tease them again, not a single person..." T- He had brothers?! "This is the only way," he growled, fingers scraping against the ground as he continued to bow his head. "The only way! People always chase after the 'strange ones' first, the ones with weird eyes, wavy hair... I have to be strong!" he shouted, curling in further as he cried. "For them!" The others stared, falling silent in response. Now that he thought about it...

Though it was straight near the bottom, Roba's hair _was_ curled, wasn't it? He'd thought it looked wavy from the other end. And his eyes... Definitely not Japanese. But even so...

Katsuya frowned, holding his tongue a little longer before shaking his head. He wasn't the only one he bet. "C'mon man..." The blond sighed, again shaking his head as he came closer. "Stop yer whinin'... Th's 's jus' Battle City," he continued, holding out a hand for the teen . "So y' lost this time... Jus' get up, fight again some other day. "Get up... C'mon..."

Roba looked up briefly, before smacking his hand back with a snarl. What the-

"Tch! Get lost," he growled, the blond pulling back with a jump before shaking his hand. "I don't need your pity!" Ow, fuck that stung!

"Sheesh, someone's ungrateful... You know that anyone else would have kicked your ass right?" Ryuzaki asked, looking at Roba with distaste.

"Tch.. Whatever," Katsuya muttered, moving to put his cards away. "Do what you want..."

' _Stand up, nii-san_.' He blinked as a voice came from behind, looking out of the corner of his eye. Did he just hear a group of kids..? The blond frowned, narrowing his eyes before looking back. Nothing. Just the crowd from before but...

' _Don't give up nii-san, come o-_ ' "Stand up, Nii-san!" Eh! He was hearing the real one this quickly? Over top of each other? "Don't give up-"

"Stand up, Nii-san!" A-Again!

"Aaaaagghhh... Voices!" Double, triple... Was that seriously normal! The blond grabbed his head, biting his lip. "Gh..!"

"You..." Katsuya blinked, both he and Ryuzaki turning as a trio of young, wavy-haired boys with a single set of binoculars stood there.

"Nii-san," the oldest two muttered, a fourth boy poking his head over one of their shoulders. AGGH, why was it doubling!

Roba blinked, eyes wide as he reached out. "G-Guys... I..." Crackling came from his wrist, the teen looking down with a wry expression as he stood. His wrist....

"Stand up," the 'middle' kid said with a frown, hands gripping a head set he was wearing. "We don't wanna use the radio any more." H-Head set?

"W-Wait... _These_ are your psychic powers?" Ryuzaki asked incredulously, Katsuya staring as the three young boys charged past and tackled their older brother to the ground.

"Gh!" The teen steadied himself, looking at his siblings with wide eyes. "Oh... You three..." Roba rubbed his eyes as the boys wrapped their arms around him, tears still running down his face as he looked at his siblings. "I... I guess I had it coming, making you do all that for me..!" Awww, how could he hate these guys? There were four of them for god's sake...

The teen looked up, moving past the boys and looking at both Katsuya and Ryuzaki both. Eh?

"Well... I lose," he muttered, looking down as he pulled a few things from his pocket. "I might as well get this over with..."

...Eh?

He tossed a card to the shorter of his former opponents, Ryuzaki fumbling as he caught and looked it over. The Osakan balked, blinking a number of times before looking back. "H-Heh! This is the card I bet on our-" He stared, holding it tightly as he frowned. "You..."

The teen shrugged, shaking his head as he continued to pull a few things from his pocket. "I cheated during our last match... I don't deserve to keep it," he said plainly, Katsuya blinking as a small serpent-dragon wrapped itself around Ryuzaki's arm. Ah, that dragon again...

And that raptor was still there too, that was weird...

"As for you Jonouchi..." He blinked as Psycho Shocker was handed over, three puzzle cards along with it. H-Hold on...

"O-OOi... Three..!" The blond looked at Ryuzaki, frowning as he gestured to the teen. "How come y' didn' give him his puzzle card back?" he asked, eyes wide. "I mean... I get tha' y' need t' show yer brothers how t' play fair but... Shouldn' y' start w' fair trades too?" Just maybe?

Oddly enough it was Ryuzaki who answered, the teen shaking his head. "Roba's giving you all three because I'm still disqualified," he growled dryly, scratching his ear with the words. "Once you're out, you're out, no matter what the circumstances of your defeat were..." ...Oooooh... Whoops. "There were tournament instructions in the disk packaging," the Osakan muttered, eyebrows raised. "Didn't you read them?" ...Well...

He kinda forgot... "Errr..." He coughed, attempting to find a good way to answer that before the topic was cut short.

"Keep the cards," Roba stated, Katsuya blinking in response. The teen shook his head, looking back at his duel disk. "I cheated for my entire time here... If anyone duels me now, I'll be surprised." ...Oooh... Yeah that tended to deter the competition. "And besides," he added with a shrug, smirking. "My entire deck relies on Psycho Shocker. If I kept those puzzle cards, they'd be useless." W-What? "But..."

He blinked again, frowning. If he took more than the prize, would he have Seto and Mokuba breathing down his neck? "Y' didn' offer them to begin wi-"

"Jonouchi, take the damn cards," Ryuzaki growled, rubbing his head as the blond took the cards in hand.

"Tch- I don' need you t' tell me that," he snarled in response, the Osakan rolling his eyes.

"Well it sure feels like it!"

"Y' still don' have to!"

"You two are funny~" The boys turned, blinking at the youngest of Roba's brothers as the 'baby' gave a somewhat toothless grin. "Heheee~"

"A-Ah... He spoke," Ryuzaki muttered, Katsuya merely staring as Honda's nephew immediately came to mind.

"Heh, I've met guys who can top tha', trust me..."

Speaking entire innuendo dosed sentences by age of two... "Hn... Jonouchi," Roba stated, smirking. The blond pulled himself from his thoughts, blinking as the teen continued. "Next time we duel, don't expect it to be this easy alright?"

"That's right," one of the apparently identical 'older' siblings said, the second 'twin' piping in from the side to create a 'doubled voice'. "Next time he'll beat you fair and square! Got it?"

"Heh!" Alright then! "Lookin' forward to it!” he said with a smirk, nodding. Now... "...Roba..." The teen blinked, listening in silence as his smile remained in place. "I got friends here... But you've got yer brothers," he said with a nod, smirking. "So long as you've got them," Katsuya continued, "Yer always strong... R'member that, alrigh'?"

The brothers stared, silent a few moments before nodding in response. "Hn... Of course! I hope we meet again soon," Roba added, before turning to his brothers. "Come on... Let's get something to eat before we go home alright?" Aww... They were all so brotherly...

...Now, before he forgot... "An' you," The blond said, turning to the Osakan beside him. Ryuzaki blinked, looking from where he was putting his rare card in his pocket with raised eyebrows as the Roba brothers moved to head down the street. "Ryuzaki."

The teen continued to blink, frowning. "Eh?" Katsuya smirked, stowing his cards away before glancing at the ever present raptor at Ryuzaki's side. And it was still there, even when that dragon was gone... Well hell! Anyone with a 'mini-monster' following this close was cool right? "Heheheh.. Yeh really saved my ass back there!" he said with a grin, laughing at the Osakan's confusion. "Y' snapped me out 'f things!" He continued to laugh, hands moving into his pockets as he grinned. "We outta keep in touch nyh?"

Again Ryuzaki blinked, staring for a few moments in silence before shaking himself. "...What."

The teen's confusion was interrupted by a low growl, both boys looking down at their stomachs in question as a nearby clock struck eleven. Wow. Eleven huh...

Dueling took time, maybe getting three cards was for the best... "Aw hell," Ryuzaki muttered under his breath, "I had breakfast at seven..." Well, he didn't have anything that morning so...

Seeing how they were both hungry... "Y' know what," he decided, smirking as he looked down the street. "I'm feelin' nice t'day Ryuzaki... So I'm gonna pr'tend y' didn' call me an' idiot an make y' an offer! What d'ya say we grab lunch nh? My treat!" he added, still smirking as the osakan blinked. "...Well?"

"Wait... You're serious?" he asked, blinking. Um. Yes? "You'd treat me to lunch?" he added, eyes wide as he stared. "On the day most places are probably jacking their prices?" Well, there was still one place that wouldn't he figured...

But he supposed the guy had a point... "Naw, you c'n pay f'r yerself, 'ahou'."

"GH-" The Osakan tensed, growling. "B _AKAAAAAA-_ "

"Yer worse!" Katsuya said with a grin, shaking somewhat as they 'argued'.

"BASTAAAAARD- Wait..." Ryuzaki frowned, glaring at the blond as he attempted to hold back a laugh. "Are you laughing?"

"Gh- What?" he said with a grin, "Y' thought I was serious?" There was a fairly plain questioning look in response, Katsuya shaking his head and holding out a hand. "Heh... I'm not that kinda guy! We're friends now, got it?" Honestly!

"H-Heh..?" Well, seeing how his hand wasn't being taken...

The teen stumbled somewhat as an arm was looped around his neck, Katsuya dragging him off with a widening grin. "Hehehehehe... I know this great ramen stand," he rambled on, the 'raptor' misting from view before reappearing to charge up ahead. "C'mon!"

"Eh..!" Given that Ryuzaki didn't run off in the end, he'd say that the guy was perfectly fine with that.


	10. Eyes That See The Truth

While most duels were happening relatively fairly within the bounds of 'Battle City', there were a few locations where it was not so. Areas in the darker regions of districts where slightly 'higher risk' antes, or even in 'not so dark' regions, not that they'd encountered such a thing just yet. For the moment that was what he and his sister were dealing with as they made their way around town, with the chauffeur on call for if they picked something up too far away.

Walking along the road right now though, disqualifying or even just 'defeating' (And thereby eliminating) anyone who broke the rules was all that mattered. Particularly since as soon as Seto turned the corner, most of the duelists scattered like shocked rats for fear of being knocked out of the runnings.

One of the many advantages of being a Kaiba, Mokuba supposed with a shrug, running a good number of feet ahead of his sister. No traffic to deal with. The boy grinned as he followed the 'blip' on his slate's map, the two siblings currently tracking down what was apparently a counterfeit card user. It could be a glitch of course- the newer cards had habits of giving 'false positives', but it couldn't hurt to check to see if the 'Diamond Dragon' was fake or not. Now then...

Where...

' _Look... I'll give you a choice_ ,' a gruff voice muttered in the distance, Mokuba blinking as he approached the alley way entrance. ' _Either give me a card of equal value to my Diamond Dragon,_ ' the man growled, _'Pay me the 100,000 yen difference, or get beaten so bad that you'll never duel again_!' Oh well that one sounded a little harsh...

' _P-Please_ ,' a second voice begged, audibly choking on their tears. ' _This is the best card I have, please don't-_ '

The first voice merely growled angrily in response, volume raising considerably as Mokuba sighed. ' _I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR DAMN FINGERS!_ ' Well...

They found him.

_-FWEEEEEEEEEEEET_!

Mokuba turned into the alley way, blowing hard on the whistle around his neck with narrowed eyes. "Hold it right there!" he shouted, moving the slate in his hands to the side. Okay...

So obviously while they were moving, the 'counterfeiter' won. Said counterfeiter turned, a scowl clearly visible on his face as the second duelist huddled on the ground. "W-What the.." The first man turned, eyes narrowing as Mokuba stared him down. "Gh... What do you want brat?" Brat? Tch!

He wasn't some 'brat'! Nonetheless he smirked, stowing his slate in his bag and moving toward the two. "Hehehe... Battle City's Steering Committee Chairman!" he announced, crossing his arms for a moment as the smirk grew. "In other words," Mokuba continued somewhat proudly, "The one whose job is to settle any disputes that come up during the tournament!" The boy snatched the ante cards that the duelists were gripping, looking them over and shaking his head. "Now then, lets see what this is about," he muttered with a sigh. Hahhh... "Ante trouble is the biggest problem in this tournament so far," he continued under his breath, looking over the cards before turning back to the two duelists. "I'll settle this as the neutral party, alright? Now..."

The boy glanced over the cards, holding them between his fingers. Diamond Dragon in one hand, 'Air Eater' in another...

Hmp! "First off," Mokuba decided after a moment, "It's forbidden to change the ante at your demand after a duel!" Not that the guy in front of him appeared to care, given his scowl... "In addition," he added with a frown and narrowing his eyes, "It's against the rules to bet for money." Yet another thing that this duelist didn't care about. "Hmph... Honestly," he muttered, shaking his head. "These two cards are of equal rarity anyways, this is more than enough! There's no reason to fight over a 'better match'!"

Evidently the rather brawny duelist thought otherwise, instead clenching his fists and walking over from where he'd given his former opponent a near beating. "Gh... You wanna die kid?" he growled, Mokuba raising his eyebrows in response. "Then don't mess with MY RULES!" His rules?

"You sad, pathetic little man," a well disguised voice growled, the two duelists in the alley turning at the sound. Ohohoh... He'd really screwed himself there. Mokuba smirked as his sister came around the corner, the woman's eyes narrowed darkly as the other duelist paled. "When you threaten my brother, you threaten the entirety of Kaiba Corporation," she spat, briefcase held tightly at her side as she scowled. "You'd better be prepared for the consequences, trash..."

"K-K-..." The duelist continued to pale, choking on his words as he stumbled backward. "Kaiba Seto..."

"Hehehe..." Too late now..~ "You've really done it this time," Mokuba said with a grin, sister standing somewhat in front of the boy as he continued on. "You could have just taken your ante and left," he said with a sigh, giving a mock shrug as the duelist tensed. "But now? Hehehe..." He had to say, he would enjoy this... "Nii-sama's rules are much worse than mine," he continued, shaking his head as the smirk grew. "It's out of my hands now! By the way... Nii-sama?" the boy added, handing one of the ante cards up as his sister blinked. "Here- this guy's ante," he stated, watching as his sister looked over the card and put her briefcase down.

"'Diamond Dragon'," she muttered, crossing her arms somewhat as she held the card loosely. "Hn!" The woman narrowed her eyes, looking over the card in distaste before turning her attentions to its owner. "I have thirty-six of these..." Wait, she had thirty six of the same card? How did she manage that... "I'm shocked that you can even think of demanding so much for a card like this," the woman said with a smirk, before tearing it easily in two.

"Y ..." The duelist paled, eyes wide as the rare card's two halves were tossed to the ground. "You shit... What the hell did you do to my card!"

Seto's smirk grew, the woman crossing her arms as she stared the man down. "Please... You wouldn't have gotten this card back anyways," she muttered, duel disk already in place on her arm as she moved closer. "Because I'm challenging you to a duel right now..." Which she would win, because. No one could do otherwise.

Except for Yugi... But he wasn't mentioning that.

"And for my ante," Seto added, Mokuba taking the woman's briefcase from the side. "This," she shouted, her brother clicking the case open in an instant to reveal the stacks and stacks of cards within. "An entire case of rare cards!"

Evidently, the loss of Hyouzanryu was nothing compared to this.

But that was only expected. "W-Woah," the duelist muttered, stumbling forward to stare at the cards in shock. Besides the old ones that had been collected, Seto had been working on adding to it. Sure, they wouldn't be in a deck... But the game was a matter of collecting and trading.

Not to mention a good investment for when they went out of print.

"These... These are all mine..!" Hey hey... Don't get ahead of yourself! "I just need to beat you?" Psh! If he could even get a scratch in he'd be amazed.

"Heh! My brother isn't stingy," Mokuba said with a snort, shaking his head as he closed the case back up. "You win," he continued as he dragged the case to the side, "And he'll keep his word," the boy said loudly.

"Consider it compensation for your 'Diamond Dragon'," Seto drawled, an odd smile still in place as she crossed her arms. The duelist turned, swallowing as the taller continued to stare him down. "In fact," she added, the smirk growing darker, "Why don't you take all the cards you like from that case to use in the duel now?" As many-

Wait what? Mokuba blinked, the duelist doing the same before running back toward the case. A-Ack-! He opened it up, watching with a raised eyebrow as the teen dug into the cards with a greedy grin in place. "Errrr..." H-Hey, those had all been organized! All the ritual cards were getting mixed in with the fusion monsters, ahhhhhh...

And of course this jerk didn't care, simply switching out as many as possible from his deck with a manic expression in place. "All... All these cards..." That was great, that was really great...

Mokuba pulled a face, shaking his head before glancing over at Seto. Just what was his sister doing he wondered, frowning as a few more cards were dropped before the unnamed duelist finally found his deck 'ready'. The boy watched as the two duelists took their positions, closing up the case again with a swallow before moving behind his sister.

"Remember," Seto said calmly, eyes narrowing further. "You lose," she stated with a grin, "And I take all these cards back... Understand?" Her opponent nodded, a smug grin that quite clearly said he expected a win in place. "And to raise the stakes even more," the woman continued, eyes narrowing darkly, "Let me tell you a secret. In my deck I have something called a 'God Card'," she explained, opponent blinking with the mention. "A card so unbelievably rare and powerful, that I wouldn't sell it for 50 billion yen..." H-Hey, she wasn't about to use that was she?

...Was she?

"Just for now," Seto stated, Mokuba raising his eyebrows again as he was proven wrong, "I'll make that card my ante. Is that clear?" You could almost hear the sounds of money exchanging in this guy's head... The look on his face was caught somewhere in shock and awe as soon as Seto said 'fifty billion'.

"F-Fifty," he repeated, choking on his words. "Hah... Haha... I'll hold you to it!" he said with a grin, eyes wide as Mokuba again looked at his sister. "Hehehe... LET'S DUEL!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." E-Ehhhh... She was laughing, that wasn't good...

He could guess fairly quickly what was about to happen when he saw his sister get that look after all!

Which was really pretty good in hindsight he decided because if he hadn't have plugged his ears, that scream would have been really loud.

* * *

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Getting the rare cards back from the scum in the alleyway and replacing them in the case had been quick and easy after the 'duel' had finished. If it could be called a duel at all. Seto chuckled as they left the alley, briefcase again in hand with her duel-disk primed for another duel. The power of 'God' was an incredible thing. A power that she held in the deck at her side just now, a fact that was almost unbelievable in itself, she thought with a chuckle. 'God'...

Hnhnhnhnhn... And in addition to that there were two others, which she would be finding in moments. Osiris and Ra. Those two cards...

Once they were hers her deck would truly be complete! A deck that none would walk away from unbowed, that none would escape...

Including him she added mentally, a short breeze passing by with that thought. A dark smirk came on her face as the idea persisted, before falling as she walked along the street with her brother. This tournament... She knew that Yugi would be there. That sooner or later they would end up facing off, a thing that she was personally looking forward to...

But what about that blond?

The woman's eyes narrowed further, Seto almost stopping for a moment as they continued down the road. "...Mokuba?" she finally said after a few moments, the boy looking up from where he was skimming the stats on his slate. He was obviously 'in', given that he hadn't shown up for work... Despite all idiocy, the moron was at least punctual. But if she could at least keep him from getting too far without actually having to hunt him down and eliminate him herself...

"...What's Jonouchi's current position in this tournament?" Mokuba blinked, staring a few moments before answering.

"Katsuya-nii's?" he asked, the term no longer gaining a wince as it had months before. She honestly couldn't be bothered with caring about that any more... "Ahhh... Hn..." The boy turned back to the slate, tapping a few things on the touch screen as Seto looked back to the street. "Let's see... Ah! Wow..."

...Wow?

"He's already got four cards," he said with a grin, holding the slate up for her to see. "This is incredible, that's more than even Yugi!" H-Hang on...

Four..! The woman paled, turning to look at the screen in shocked silence. Impossible...

That was impossible, it was only eleven o'clock! "Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked, pulling the slate back as he looked up at his sister, "Do you want an update on Yugi as well?" The woman shook her head, swallowing as she turned back. Four cards...

He was effectively in the final rounds of the preliminaries! "No," she said rather quickly, mentally shaking herself before going on. "I know he'll be at the finals one way or another. I don't need an update on him..." Yugi's success was to be expected... As to how Jonouchi was beating Yugi...

Tch... Three cards in addition to his own, how the hell...

"Hnn... How did he get that many this quickly," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. Really, how-

The answer evidently, was quite obvious... An answer that hadn't occurred to her mostly because most weren't stupid enough to do it. "Ah... Well, according to this," her brother stated, "He only dueled once..." Mokuba tapped a few more things on the screen, skimming it over before looking up with a shrug. "Esper 'Roba, Tamashi', who apparently forfeited the tournament after his loss," the boy added, shaking his head. "There's no rule against giving more than the agreed ante after all, since it's a matter of free will instead of extortion... I guess he just didn't want to fight anymore." 'Didn't want to fight'..? Honestly...

What kind of moron quit after only losing once! "...Hn..." The woman narrowed her eyes, teeth grinding in aggravation. This wasn't good. The closer that idiot got...

...Damn it... "Mokuba," she said after a few moments, the boy blinking in response as he looked up from his slate again. "Make sure you keep an eye on his disk's location, understand?"

Again the boy blinked, raising his eyebrows. "On his disk?" The boy nodded, frowning somewhat but tapping the screen nonetheless with a shrug. "Alright nii-sama... If you say so..." Good, she thought with a mental sigh, before turning the next corner. After all, if she was going to keep that idiot from dying, she might as well know where he was.

* * *

As to where that was...

It was a street-side ramen stand overlooking the sea. More specifically a yatai stall, with the seats for customers being the bench at the side and all payment being given upfront to prevent 'eat-and-run' problems. In all honesty though despite the modesty of the source of their lunch, Keiichi had to feel at least somewhat grateful for the free meal.

Even if there were only a few choices on the menu. "Extra large pork ramen!" Jonouchi ordered with a grin, Keiichi looking at the menu beside him. Beef, egg, fish... On the way there, talking had effectively been built up out of sheer awkwardness. After all...

When there was nothing to start with but dueling and food, there wasn't much else to go on. Of course about half way there, numbers had been exchanged as well, for reasons mostly pertaining to not waiting for another Battle City to talk but...

Well besides that, the conversation was mostly made up of them insulting each other. All in good fun of course. Though there had been a conversation on booster packs at one point, which ended with him 'bragging' about how his friend back home was effectively the Goddess of Chance when it came to finding good cards inside.

But back to the present now. Ramen. Which one... The last time he went to a stall he'd ended up just getting chicken and...

...Ah, what the hell. "Ditto for me," he decided after a moment, the stand cook nodding in response to the order.

"Just a few moments then!" The cook turned to face the large pots of boiling water, grabbing a few bowls and ingredients as he prepared the orders. "So... Jonouchi?" he added, looking at the blond as the teen fished out his payment, "This guy a friend of yours?" Since when was he 'this guy'?

The blond grinned, nodding as Keiichi momentarily stared at the cooking food. "Heheh... Yep! All th' way from Osaka," he added, the teen beside him frowning somewhat in response.

"Oi oi," he muttered, crossing his arms, "I can talk for myself!"

The blond merely ignored him, listening as the stand owner began laughing. "Hahaha! Osaka ahh?" Keiichi nodded, leaning somewhat on the stand's counter as the ingredients were mixed together in each bowl. "Haha! I have a friend in Osaka," he said with a grin, turning to his customers with a laugh. "A nice place isn't it?"

Osaka in general? ...Eh... When you lived there all your life...

He shrugged, watching as the water and noodles were dumped into both bowls. Hn... Smelled pretty good. "It's alright..." There was a split second of silence as Jonouchi looked at him with raised eyebrows, the cook merely laughing even louder in response.

"Hah! I get the same answer from him!" Understandable... 'He' also lived there apparently. "Now then..." The stand owner passed over two large steaming bowls, both boys grabbing them before the cook continued. "Here you are," he said with a grin, "Two extra large pork ramen! You two... You're in that tournament aren't you?" he asked, the pair nodding in response before watching the cook drop a few things into the bowls. "Hah! In that case," the man said with a laugh, his customers staring at the extra beef he'd dropped in, "An extra slice from me, on the house!"

"H-Heehhh!" Jonouchi shouted in response, staring at the cook with wide eyes. "You... Ahhh, you're th' best!"

"Ah-" Extra beef! "Thanks!" Sweet!

The two boys pulled their bowls over and sat at the bench, snapping their chopsticks apart and grabbing a mouthful of noodles to dig in. Gh- Briefly the teen choked, face reddening somewhat as the steam hit his face from the bowl. Damn it was hot...

All the same though he decided, going in for another bite. This ramen... "Huh... This is pretty good," he said with a nod, eyebrows raised. Really good actually...

Jonouchi nodded, smirking as he turned from his own food. "Hehehe... Yep! I used t' come here a lot," he continued, grabbing another bite of noodles before going on. "I figure it's quick, an' not too far off th' main street, so I'll be able t' get right back t' duelin' when we finish!" Right back on track huh...

He nodded, slurping another mouthful of noodles in. "Not a bad idea..." Not bad at all actually... "Thanks for the food by the way," he added, shrugging somewhat as he turned back to the blond. "Saves me from buying a crappy train lunch..." Which was especially crappy with the pass it seemed...

"Hehehe, I hear yah," the blond said in response, still grinning as Keiichi blinked. He... He did? ...Didn't look like the kind of guy to take train trips but...

Well, whatever... Keiichi glanced at the blond's jacket, eyes narrowing momentarily as he recalled the main reason he hadn't just brushed the guy off. A few tears, scuff marks... Even a bit of ash from where Psycho Shocker's attack had 'apparently' hit, slightly smudged on the teen's dogtags from being wiped off. But those hadn't been there before... None of those marks had-

"So how'd you hear about th' tournament?" Jonouchi asked, the Osakan blinking in response. How did-

What- Seriously? He was asking that? He shrugged, swallowing another mouthful of noodles as he leaned back on the bench. "Eh... Honestly," he admitted, shaking his head, "I was just playing a few rounds of duel monsters with a friend from school when I got this text about a tournament here... Same friend I mentioned earlier actually," the Osakan added, glancing at Jonouchi before continuing. "Until I got home and found the ad in the duelist's magazine," he continued, "I had no clue what it was talking about really..." Nothing wrong with sharing that much he supposed...

Though getting a text from Haga was one of the weirdest and scariest things to happen since... Ever.

Particularly after he'd found him outside the hotel that morning... Shihhhhhh...

Jonouchi blinked, raising his eyebrows before shrugging. "Huh... I only found out 'cause Yugi told me," he muttered, going back to his ramen again. Well, seeing how it was likely that only the people who read the magazine realized there was even a tournament...

And how the guy hadn't even realized that Pegasus Crawford was dead... The teen shrugged, going back to his ramen and shaking his head. Eh, how they got there wasn't important really. "Well, not like it matter's much now... At least I got Serpent Night Dragon back," he added, thinking back to the card with a smirk before shuddering. Speaking of that card...

Oh god, if he'd lost that... She would have slaughtered him...

"Oi, that r'minds me..." Keiichi blinked, turning as Jonouchi again paused in his eating. "What made y' enter in th' first place?" he asked, looking at the teen. "A money deal? Cards?" What, the ante? ...Well...

"Psh!" He snorted, shaking his head before shrugging again. "Kind of," he muttered, swallowing another mouthful of noodles and beef. Ante was good and all, but there was more to it. "Mostly I wanted to see what was such a big deal about the tournament, and tell my friend what the city looked like... Also to get Haga off my back," he muttered as an after thought, narrowing his eyes. That guy had frightening stalking talents...

"...Haga?" Jonouchi repeated, the Osakan groaning in response. Oh great, he heard that part...

"Ugh... Don't ask," he moaned, shaking his head. "As it is," Keiichi continued with a sigh, "I'm probably going to be going through hell keeping him away from my Kendo meets..."

Again the blond blinked, eyebrows raised as he looked up from his bowl. "Wait... ...You... You take kendo?" he asked, staring somewhat incredulously. Eh... Of course he did... It was that or baseball, which he hated...

"What... You thought I spent all my time playing Duel Monsters," he asked, raising an eyebrow as he was responded with silence. "...Seriously?"

Jonouchi shrugged, Keiichi momentarily noting that the blond had moved his duel disk to the side after one too many knocks against the ramen bowl. Though even that hadn't saved it from a few drops of soup broth... Despite it being located on his left he turned back, smiling somewhat wryly. "Well... Yeah." S-Serious-

Gh... "Pffff... Haha...Hahaha! Oh wow," he shouted with a laugh, just about tearing up as he grinned, "That's rich!" What did he think he was, some kind of nerd? Spending all day playing cards? HAH! Just because he did it in class didn't mean he did it outside of it! "Hahaha! Wow... Look," he said with a grin, calming down somewhat as the blond listened in, "Fun as it is to go to these tournaments, that's not going to be the only thing I do! I mean come on... Playing the game is fun and all, but this is just a hobby! It's not 'fun' if you spend all your days doing it! At that point, you mind as well be 'working'!" He continued to laugh, shaking his head as an odd image of a duelist in a cubicle came to mind. Hahaha... Ahhh... "I mean... Come on," Keiichi said with a smirk, grabbing the last solid bit of food in his ramen before looking back at his 'friend'. "Do you expect me to believe that's all you do? I mean, you have a sister right?" he asked, shrugging. "Don't you do anything with her?"

...Oooooh...

That was a bad topic wasn't it. The blond beside him fell silent, pulling a face as he turned away. "Er... Not really," he admitted, coughing somewhat as he rubbed his head. "She kinda lives in Osaka herself... So I don' see her too much..." H-Heh? Osaka?

...Seriously? "Osaka..." He blinked, shaking himself before giving a short laugh. "Hah... No shit huh? What ward is she in?" At this Jonouchi's uncomfortable expression abruptly shifted into a scowl, the teen narrowing his eyes as Keiichi tensed. Erk-

S-Shit, this was a younger sister wasn't it... For all he knew that meant...

"H-H-Hey," Keiichi said with a laugh, hurriedly scooting a few inches away on the bench, "I'm just curious! I'm not going to be actively looking out for her! Hahaha... Ahhh..." Alright, please don't punch him, he was kind of hoping to finish this ramen broth...

"...Asahi-ku," Jonouchi said after a moment, turning away to go back to his ramen. Asah-

The blood ran from his face, laughing taking a quieter tone. "Hahaha... N-No kidding," he said with a somewhat high-pitched squeak, choking on the very words. Th-That was where he lived...

Out of twenty seven possible choices, it just had to be the one he lived in... "E-Ehhhh..."

Jonouchi narrowed his eyes further, chopsticks sitting in his bowl as he slowly looked at the Osakan. "...That's where you live, isn't it," he asked darkly, eyes largely hidden under his hair. Oooooohhhh fuck...

"I swear to god I'm not going to go after her!" he shouted in defense, hurriedly throwing the bowl up in front of him for a 'shield'. There was a short bit of silence, Keiichi looking back over the bowl to watch Jonouchi go back to his food again.

"...Y'know what," he decided with a slightly stoney tone, "Since you don' even know what she looks like, I'll let it pass..." T-That made sense but...

That expression did not say 'I'll let it slide' damn it! "Haha... Yeah..." Okay... Whatever worked... Shit, he wasn't going near his sister if he was getting this reaction... "So..." Conversation topics, conversation topics...

...And...

He was completely brain dead for them. Shit. "...Your sister..." He coughed, flushing as the blond gave him an odd look again before mustering up a bit of courage on the topic. "Er... What's she like?" The teen blinked, before going back to his ramen as his friend silently sighed in relief.

"She's really nice," he said after a moment, smiling somewhat nostalgically. "She doesn' like imposin' on people," he continued with an uncharacteristically calm tone, "So she keeps quiet when she meets someone... Unless she's sure she knows a person," the blond added quietly, "She c'n seem really shy actually, hahaha!" He shook his head, smirking as he chuckled before moving on. "She's got a nasty vengeance streak if y' get on 'r bad side though! If y' manage t' do it, I don' envy yeh... She'll knock y' a new one, an' hard! Might not look it, but she's strong!" Hah! So a bit of a two-face then was she?

"Hahahaha! Man... Sounds like someone I know," Keiichi said with a smirk, shaking his head as he put his now empty ramen bowl to the side. "I know that if I lost this Serpent Night Dragon card, Shizka-chan would kick my ass!" And then some! The only reason she'd given it to him was to 'help him win'! "I swear though," he added, recalling how they'd found the card in the first place with a grin. "The chances of her finding this card in that booster pack... Shizka-chan must be some kind of-"

"...What did y' say her name was?" Jonouchi asked darkly, the blond's expression caught in a broken smile as Keiichi turned to look at the teen in slight horror. W-Wait...

Don't tell him... "Gh-" Oh HELL his luck wasn't that bad. It could not be that bad! "S-Shizk... Shizuka," he repeated, taking care not to slur the name in his nervousness. "I... She's the one I was coming to Tokyo for..." Why the hell was he saying that? Why the hell was he digging this hole further! "And... Eh..." Stop digging god damn it!

For a moment, Jonouchi's expression was more or less frozen in anger, the teen's eyes wide as his empty bowl clattered to the ground. Ooooooh shit...

Almost immediately however it vanished, the blond frowning as the Osakan swallowed. "You... ...Yer name's Keiichi isn't it," he growled, Keiichi in question growing paler. Oh fuck... Seriously? This was seriously happening!

"Gh... Yes..." Shit shit shit shit- "But I swear it I'm not- I..." He choked, blood further draining from his face as Jonouchi's expression continued to darken. "For fuck's sakes, we're just friends from school," he protested, edging further away on the bench. Ahhhh _hggggggghhh_ why the hell was his luck so god awful today!

"I'm going to wring yer god damn ne- ...Hold on..." Hold on? Keiichi blinked, watching as the blond abruptly paled rather than finishing his eerily frightening threat. "Shizuka said she was gettin' a train pass," he muttered, a confused frown coming over his face. "Why... Why would she need you t' tell her what th' city looked like..." Why? Keiichi frowned, shaking his head at the question as Jonouchi looked at him. "What do y' mean by that..." What the hell did he mean why? If this was his sister...

If this was his sister, why the hell wouldn't he know! Why wouldn't he know that she was- "What the hell do-"

"What do yah mean?" the blond shouted almost desperately, eyes wide as he stared at the Osakan. What...

There was no way... "...She's blind you moron..." Keiichi stared at Jonouchi in disbelief, shock leaving his own face pale with numb horror as well. "She's completely blind... What the hell kind of brother doesn't know that about his sister?"

"No..." Jonouchi shook his head, holding it in one hand as he looked at the ground in shock. "No that ain't right... She had th' surgery," he muttered with a nervous swallow, "She said th' bandages were off an' that she was in school again..!" She...

She told him that?

Keiichi stared, slowly shaking his head in continued disbelief before speaking. "Jonouchi... I hate t' tell you this," he said with a swallow, "But..." But... The shaking continued, before he turned away with somewhat narrowed eyes. "Jonouchi, she hasn't taken those bandages off since February... I mean... She's been going through hell worrying about if she'll be able to get back in school or not..." All her talks about studying, her shouts about 'paying attention'...

And in the end, she was the one stuck in her room.

"She... She..." He shook himself, looking back to his friend's brother in confusion. "...How did you not know this..?"

The blond merely turned away, more or less white in the face. "She..." He swallowed, voice barely more than a whisper as the gravity of the news struck. "Why didn' she tell me..." Why?

"I... I guess... She... Just didn't want you to worry..." It sounded pathetic, he knew that but... Shit...

What the hell did he say to tha-

"O-OI..!" Keiichi jumped, looking past Jonouchi with wide eyes as a passerby abruptly broke into a run. "What the hell-!" Jonouchi as well turned, worry instantly vanishing as he looked to where his duel disk had been sitting. Nothing was there...

But sticking out to the side and clearly gripped in the fleeing boy's arms... "What th- OI! GET BACK HERE!" he shouted, running after the kid with a sudden burst of speed "GIMME BACK MY DUEL DISK Y' ASS!" Sh-Shit, talk about a get-away!

The teen blinked, staring with wide eyes as the blond continued to disappear. "Ahh... Talk to you later? ... ...Man..." Well...

It wasn't as though the conversation had been making much progress anyways he supposed with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Hahhh... I should probably head home anyways," he muttered, pulling out his phone and sending a text to Haga. 'Going home,' he tapped in, pausing for a moment before adding a half-hearted 'good luck' as well. Tch... Idiot could find his own way to Osaka. "Before Shizka-chan decides to slaughter me," he added under his breath, shaking himself and pocketing the phone with a wince. Besides, this hat was murder this time of year...

He needed to get changed.

* * *

"STOP!"

Katsuya barrelled through the streets as the thief ran, wiping the ramen he'd spat out in his surprise from his face. It had happened all too fast really. He and Ryuzaki... 'Keiichi' as it were, had been talking about Shizuka...

And then suddenly his disk was gone.

"GET BACK HERE Y' THIEF!"

There was no answer from the thief in question, the sound of somewhat laboured breaths coming from ahead. "Hah, hah, hah..."

The boy turned a corner, gap in distance between the two closing swiftly as Katsuya picked up speed with a growl. "DAMN IT...!"

"J-Jonouchi?" someone asked, the blond ignoring it for a moment as he finally reached out to snatch at the duel disk thief.

"HWAH! Ung-!" Katsuya scowled, grabbing the boy by the back of his jacket. "Gnn... L-Let me go!" he cried, the blond quite easily raising him a few inches off the ground with a glare. "Let me go!" Oh like hell.

"Give it up y' little rat! An' hand over my duel disk while yer at it," he continued, grip on the jacket tightening as the thief shook his head and winced.

"J-Jonouchi-kun..." That voice aga-

Oh! The blond turned as Anzu came over, blinking. "Jonouchi?" she asked somewhat confusedly, the albino beside her staring with a just as perplexed expression. "What are you doing?" Oh hey...

Anzu and Bakura. He'd get to them in a moment. "Hang on a sec'," he muttered, looking back at the kid with his disk. Come on, it wasn't like he could run away any more... "HAND IT OVER."

"Gh..." The thief cringed at the tone, bowing his head in fear. "Alright," he shouted, "Alright!" The boy held it out, biting his lip as it was snatched from him by the angry blond. "Gnnng... I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I'll never do it again, just please, don't hurt me!" Hurt him? Sheesh...

The blond gripped his duel disk, giving the thief one last glare as the boy cringed. Man... Last time he took this thing off. Katsuya sighed, dropping the boy and crossing his arms as the boy fled back against a nearby park bench. Man... This kid was short. He clacked his disk back into place on his wrist, watching as the kid wiped his eyes. Probably Mokuba's age or younger by the looks of him. God...

"Why th' hell did y' steal my duel disk anyways?" he asked with a frown, stowing his hands in his pockets as the boy continued to cry.

"Gn... I... I just saw it there alright," he muttered, shaking his head as he averted his gaze from the blond. "I mean... It wasn't fair!" Wasn't fair? The boy continued to cry, shaking his head. "I... I was supposed to be in this tournament today," he cried, staring at the ground, "But as soon as I bought my disk, I ended up challenged by this other guy, and he completely creamed me! He took my cards, my duel disk... Everything," he continued, looking back at the blond with wide eyes. "I spent all my money on those, I couldn't just stand at the side when that happened!" Stole everything, what!

Anzu frowned, walking over as Bakura followed behind. "So... You were going to use Jonouchi's disk to challenge him again?" she asked, eyebrows raised. The boy nodded furiously, bowing his head in shame yet again. "I was going to give it back, I swear! As soon as I got my own disk back," he muttered, swallowing as his face went red. "...I... I was... Again," the boy said with a sigh, looking up at the others somewhat pitifully. "I'm really sorry..." Okay...

This kid was going to fight the guy again with his cards? "Man..." He could see where he was coming from but... "That's not gonna work," he muttered, shaking his head. The boy frowned, and Katsuya continued on with crossed arms. "A duelist's deck's made 'f th' soul of the guy who put it t'gether," he explained somewhat knowingly, "It's somethin' built t' suit that one person! Y' can't jus' switch decks an' make it work... It doesn' work like that!"

Bakura nodded, frowning somewhat as he stepped in. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said politely, "But he's quite right... The fact is," the teen continued with a slight wince, "If you had lost, you'd have been worse off than where you started from..."

The boy looked up at that, swallowing rather nervously in response. "H-Hnnn..."

"...Hey- no worries alrigh'," Katsuya said with a nod, the boy blinking in response as the blond's frown lightened. "Yer problems are over... Tell me who this guy is, an' I'll win back yer disk, got it," he asked, watching as the kid's expression brightened in response.

Anzu blinked at that, shaking herself before turning to look at the blond. "Er... Jonouchi?" she asked with a slight frown, "Are you sure about that..?"

"Erm..." Bakura as well frowned, biting his lip as he looked at his friend. "Shouldn't you find out how strong he is before making a challenge Jonouchi-kun?" Oh come on, this again!

The blond sighed, pushing it from mind. "Hn! It doesn' matter," he said with a growl, shaking his head as the boy continued to stare. "Whoever this guy is," Katsuya growled, "He ain't gettin' away wi' this... It's one thing t' have a fair trade, it's completely different t' lose yer deck an' disk as well!"

"Then..." The blond blinked as the kid on the bench swallowed, watching as he stumbled over his words. "Then... You'll beat him for me?" the boy asked, eyes wide. This seemed bizarrely familiar...

Katsuya nodded, gaze serious. "Yeah! I'll completely trash 'im!" Eh. The kid didn't look like Nezumi in any case...

The boy swallowed, before nodding and moving off the bench. "Th-Then... Then wait here," he shouted, running off with a jump. E-EH! "I'll go get him," he continued loudly, looking back for a moment before turning the corner. "Just give me a second!" Wait what!

The three watched as the boy ran off, blinking the confusion off. "Do... Do you think he'll come back?" Anzu said after a while, turning to the boys beside her with raised eyebrows. "I mean, he was definitely afraid of you Jonouchi... What if he's just making a break for it?" A b-

"What?" He turned, frowning. Okay, the fear thing he would admit... He hated to say it, but he was fairly good at it when he wanted to be. But running away? "What th' hell do y' mean 'makin' a break for it'?" he asked incredulously, shaking his head. "You sayin' he's just a no good rat?"

"Eh... Well, no," the woman said with a cough, shaking her head. "No, I'm not... I just..."

"Man..." Katsuya shook his head, turning away with a frown. "Everyone's so cynical these days..." What happened to the times when they were kids with unshakable faith in whoever they met? Hell he knew what happened to him, but even so at least he still had a little trust right?

Though he was suddenly getting a bad feeling...

Ugh... "Come on..." Again he shook his head, pushing the doubt from mind and grinding his teeth. "It's a kid who got his disk stolen! Have a bit 'f faith!" The others fell silent for a moment with that, sharing nervous glances before swallowing. "...Jonouchi..."

"I mean... If y' can't trust people... How can y' trust anything?" Freaking monster-ghost things running around, flashes of what would come next... And he was supposed to believe it all?

...Yeah, he was.

"I have faith in my future," he continued, partially to himself. He had to... He had to. "I have faith that no matter what it takes," the blond said calmly, "I'll win any duel tha' comes my way until I'm in th' same place as Yugi... An' when that happens," Katsuya said with a nod, looking back at the others. "I'm gonna duel 'm! An' whether I win 'r lose," he continued with a shout, "I'll know I can hold my head up high an' call myself a 'duelist'! An then..." He bowed his head, thinking back to his conversation with Ryuzaki. 'Keiichi' Dinosaur Ryuzaki...

Who knew more about his sister than he did. Damn it all...

"I'm gonna carve out my own future," he whispered, looking away from the others and down the street with mostly faded eyes. "An' give Shizuka a reason t' see it..."

Anzu paled at that, Bakura as well before the former swallowed. "A reason... To see," she repeated, eyes wide. "But... What happened though?"

"...You..." Bakura shook his head, stepping somewhat closer to the blond as he frowned. "You said there were no complications in the operation though... She was even discharged in January, wasn't she?"

The blond nodded, biting his lip as he thought back to the phone-calls he'd made around then. To think, all this time... "Yeah," he muttered, bowing his head. "Yeah, she was... But apparently, she never took th' bandages off..." She just stayed at home... In the dark.

"What..."

"I found out just moments ago," he continued under his breath, fists clenched as he shook. "An' I can't... I can't believe I didn' know!" 'What kind of brother'? That was a good question, wasn't it? "Gh... She told me she was doin' fine, y' know? Said she was back in school an' everythin', an' I believed it..." All this time... The blond took a shaky breath, attempting to steel himself as he looked back at the others. "But y' know... I figure, after this tournament, after I win," he added, with a determined nod, "I'll go down there an' give her a reason t' take those bandages off! An' I'll show her th' face of a guy who won his future," he continued, forcing a smirk on his face.

Along with a bit of courage...

Katsuya sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to the others. "Hey... Lis'n," he said quietly, swallowing as the others stared. "I'm okay if y' tell Honda abou' this," he stated, thinking back to his friend for a moment. "But... Could y' not tell Yugi?" the blond asked, Anzu blinking in response. "I don' want anythin' skewin' our fight," Katsuya said with a shrug, smirking somewhat sadly as he looked away. "I'd rather he think we're jus' playin' a match, y' know?" That way it'd be fair...

The two stared a few moments, before nodding in response. "Of course," Bakura said with a smile, bowing slightly. "We'll do it Jonouchi-kun..." Phew...

He sighed in relief, shaking his head before frowning somewhat. Just now, why did he get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji..?

...Through a window? ...Heeeeeey...

"Wait... Where th' hell is Honda anyway?" he asked, looking past the two with somewhat narrowed eyes. "Didn' he say he was free from babysittin' t'day?" For once?

"Ah... Yeah," Anzu said with a frown, crossing her arms as she bowed her head in thought. "That's right... Actually," she continued with a frown, "We called him this morning and he said he was catching the noon train somewhere..."

"Th..." Hell no... "Th' noon train..?"

"...Yes... That's what he said at least..."

Katsuya continued to frown, Bakura carrying on. "He took the Tokaido Shinkansen," Bakura added, shrugging somewhat. "He and Otogi-kun mentioned something about going to Osaka... I assumed you both knew actually..."

Anzu balked, eyes wide as the teen said this. "OSAKA?!" she exclaimed, turning on Bakura with a look of shock. "He skipped out to go to Osaka?"

"Erm... Y-Yes," he responded somewhat nervously, backing away somewhat. "Specifically Asahi-ku...Oh..."

The two both paled as they realized what this meant, slowly turning as Katsuya grew redder and redder with rage. "Eh..." Anzu swallowed, also stepping back. "J-Jonouchi-"

"THAT FUCKING RAAAAAAAT!"

* * *

"Ha-ch!"

The sound of a sneeze rang clearly through the lesser known subway station of Asahi-ku as he stepped onto the platform, Keiichi turning briefly as he adjusted his bag. Who did that?

"You know," a voice muttered rather dryly, the teen watching as a pair of slightly older boys moved off the train themselves, "I hear that getting a cold this quickly is a sign of someone talking behind your back," he drawled, brushing a few strands of black hair from his face as he looked over a paper map.

The somewhat tall teen beside him balked, before growing red in the face at the words. "Gh- If that were happening, don't you think we'd have gotten a call?" he growled, evidently quite nervous about the topic. The other held up his phone at the 'question', waving it in his friend's face with a smirk.

"There's a reason why we turned these off," he said somewhat smugly, before stowing it back in his pocket.

"Hah..." His friend sighed, running a hand through short brown hair before shrugging. "Well, if it means Jonouchi won't find us..." Hold on...

Jonouchi? Keiichi blinked as he stowed his jacket and hat in his bag bag, turning back from the station exit and staring at the two teens who had stepped off his train. Did they seriously just say Jonouchi? As in...

'The blond' Jonouchi? He shook it off after a few moments, smirking as he continued out of the station. Hahaha. Naaaaah... Probably nothing.

Sure the name was uncommon after all, but it wasn't _that_ uncommon... "Man," he said with a stretch, heading down the stairs before jogging down the backroads he was by now long familiar with. "Time to change into some shorts..." Not to mention a tshirt... Maybe he could get a popsicle too, or-

_Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzz.-_

The teen blinked, pulling out his phone to look at the ID as it started vibrating. E-Eh... 'Kawa-'

"Ah- Shizka-chan," he muttered, staring at the screen a moment longer before flipping it open. He brought it to his ear, continuing on his way down the street as he glanced at a nearby street sign. "...Moshi-moshi?"

" _Hiii Keichi-kun_!" Aha, there she was... But why was she calling now? I just got a call from your friend that you were on your way back!" she said with a laugh, Keiichi blinking in response. W-Wait, what? " _Did the tournament finish already?_ " the girl asked confusedly, her friend still frowning as he walked down the road. " _He was laughing, so I'm not really sure..._ " Laugh-

What! Who the hell knew he'd lost that would be laughing! He grit his teeth, calming himself down as he shook it off. Alright, simple way around this... "...Did he happen to leave a name?" There was a bit of silence, Shizuka likely nodding.

" _Ah... Yes. Katsugi..._ " Katsugi? Who named their kid Kats- " _Erm... 'Haga Katsugi', I'm pretty sure. He seemed very happy..._ " H-Haga-! Even his first name was buggy! The teen grimaced, rubbing his head. How the hell...

He had his best friend's phone number, how the hell did he manage that... This was just... "Hahhh..." 'Happy' huh? He shook his head, crossing the street with a frown. "That's probably because you're the first girl he's spoken to that wasn't related to him..."

" _That sounds a little harsh..._ " Ah, but it was true, believe him on that... He would bet so much that it was true...

Keiichi shook his head, continuing down the street as the sun sat low on the horizon. Well, anyways... Might as well explain why he was back in Osaka... "I didn't get too far in the tournament," he said with a shrug, adjusting his bag again and wincing under the heat. "Lost my first match..."

" _AH-_ " Shizuka paused, coughing. " _Then, the card I gave y-_ "

"I still have it," he said quickly, going somewhat red as he cut the girl off. It was still there, honest... Don't... Throw anything at him when he passed the house... "Anyways... Do you mind if I come over?" he asked, stowing his free hand in his pocket as he looked down the road. He could stand the heat a little longer if he was inside he supposed...

Shizuka's house was closer to the station than his after all, hell, just down the street from there... " _Not at all!_ " Haha! " _I'll ask my mom to make some tea then_ ," she said cheerily, likely nodding. " _I'll see you then!_ "

"Right!" There was a short click as the girl hung up, Keiichi flipping his phone back over and stowing it in his pocket as he went.

"So which way do you think it is?" a voice behind him muttered, the teen blinking in response.

Hang on what? "I don't know," a fairly annoyed second one muttered, "I've never been to Asahi, and we can't even google it!"

"This would be so much easier if they had a song, like in Kyoto..."

...What. Those two again? Keiichi turned, raising his eyebrows as the same teens from the station turned another corner before shaking it off. Whatever...

Stupid tourists... (Though what kind of tourists would come here..?)

He had better things to think about. Like avoiding Haga... And telling Shizuka he studied for the summer re-entry exams to get her off his back.

And making sure the cat hadn't used his furniture as a scratch post while he was gone, like he had last time. And...

He frowned, stopping just briefly as another thought came to mind. "...What the hell is going on with Shizka-chan's brother..."

That jacket had definitely been 'good as new' before the duel started he told himself, crossing his arms with a frown. Moreover he was looking at completely different points on the field, pointing at completely different points...

And lets not forget about the whole 'flew at least seven feet' deal. That one had him clam up for a while really...

Sh _hhhihhhhhhh_... "Maaaaaou..." Eh?

Keiichi turned as a cat stared at him from the fence, blinking. A... A cat, on Shizuka's fence? But she didn't have a-

...Ooooohhh...

Shizuka's 'stray cat'... The one that was keeping her up all night for the last few weeks. "Heh... So you're 'Taro'?" he muttered, the fairly overweight feline flicking its tail in response.

"Maaaaaaou..." Evidently, this was his 'spot'.

The teen shook his head, smirking as he moved toward the front door and looked back at the cat. "You're proving a pain to Shizka-chan you know... Might want to avoid that," he continued with a short laugh, "She'll throw a book at you."

The cat merely turned away, turning its attention to the road again. "Maaaaaou..."

"Hahh..." Whatever... He turned back to the door, knocking and stepping back to wait for a moment before being greeted by Shizuka's mother.

"Ahh... Keiichi," the woman said with a smile, moving back inside as she held the door open. "Please, come in! I just started making tea if you're thirsty," she added, a calm smile still on her face. "Would you like some?"

The teen shook his head, bowing slightly as he came in and dropped his bag at the side. "I'm fine Kawai-san," he said with a nod, pulling his shoes off and putting them at the side. "Er, where's Shizka-chan?"

Akie pointed toward the side of the hall, blinking. "She's in the living room right now," she said plainly, before turning to head back for the kitchen. "I'll bring the tea in later on, just in case you want some..." But he just said he didn't want any-

Ahhhh... Whatever. He shook his head, moving his bag closer to the wall before walking over to the living room. It was small, like any other house really. Normally Shizuka was either in here or her room really, somehow managing on her own while her mom was at work. There she was though, sitting on the couch. Shorts, t-shirt and vest...

Bandages...

"Ah... Hey... Shizka-chan..."

The girl turned toward the sound of her friend's voice, following his footsteps until the teen took a seat beside her. It seemed like this was how most conversations started. Things hadn't been too awkward since February despite the constant bandages present, but after the conversation with Jonouchi...

He shook it off, leaning on the couch somewhat as he turned to the girl beside him. "Met that cat you told me about," he said with a smirk, despite the fact that the expression would be unseen.

"Ah, you saw Taro?" she asked with a smile, crossing her legs and brushing some hair from her face. "What does he look like? Is he a tabby?" she continued, the smile growing. "I bet he's a nice thin tabby cat, like a tiger..." Hahaha...

She couldn't be farther from the truth! "Actually," he said with a cough, struggling to hold the laugh in, "He's black and white... And fat as hell. Like an oversized ice-cream sandwich."

"Ah, really..." The girl's smile faded somewhat, her friend giving a humoured sigh in response. Hey hey now, don't sound disappointed about that! He shook his head, smirking.

"Yep! Not a tiger in any way! If anything, he's a panda. ...Oh, that reminds me..." Keiichi blinked, the expression falling as he looked back at his friend. "You remember how you mentioned your brother in Domino?" he asked, Shizuka nodding in response.

"Er... 'Katsuya'?" An appropriate name really... But back to present matters.

"And about how you were wondering about what would happen if I met him?" The situation that he had deemed 'largely impossible'... "Haha... You won't believe what happened..."

Shizuka paled, bringing a hand to her mouth as the teen said this. O-Oii, this wasn't a bad thing! "You actually- Ahhhhh..." The girl shook her head, biting her lip. "K-Keichi-kun, I was just joking about that! Please tell me he didn't do anyth-"

"He- He didn't do anything," he said with a start, cutting the girl off with a cough. "It's okay, trust me!"

At least someone was aware of her brother's over-protective tendencies though... Yikes.

"But... Shizka-chan?" he said quietly, turning away with a frown. "...Why didn't you tell him about..." ...Hn...

He looked down, biting his lip as Shizuka did the same. They both knew what he was talking about after all... "That..." The girl sighed, shaking her head and 'looking' down. "I had thought that if he knew... He'd just worry over me all the time, get himself into trouble again... He's worse than you are you know?" she said seriously, frowning as she turned back to the teen. "Never studying, and always getting into fights! Not just shouting at people either, he gets really hurt sometimes! ...It's stopped lately since he started working with Mokuba-kun," she continued, shrugging slightly as she 'looked' away again. "But his grades are still suffering..." The girl sighed, shaking her head. "I'm worried about him... About what he'll do in the end, if he'll make it into a university..." A-Ah...

Hn... "Well..." She'd probably guessed that he'd told the guy by this point but... "You won't believe this," he said with a laugh, shaking his head, "But I knew Jonouchi from December!"

"Eh! You did?" she asked with a jolt, eyebrows raised.

"Haha! Yep! He's the one who beat me in the tournament there," he continued, shaking his head, "The guy who won Red-Eyes off me..." And apparently lost it... (And got it back? Sheesh, even he was confused...) "Made it hard for me to catch up," Keiichi muttered, rubbing his head as his friend laughed.

"Hahahaha! That sounds like him!" Shizuka smiled, giving another sigh as she turned away with a relieved expression. "Still... I'm glad he didn't do anything," she said calmly, rubbing her head. "After I told him you were going to Tokyo," she continued with a sigh, "I almost thought he was planning your murder!" H-Hey..!

"O-Oi oi," he said with a pale expression, "Don't speak lightly about those things..."

"Nothing happened right?" his friend asked, grinning as she continued to laugh. "Hnhnhnhnhn!"

"Th-That's not funny!" Stop laughing!

- _Kots kots kots_

"Hah..?" The two looked back toward the hallway, blinking as someone knocked on the door. "Shizka-chan?" he asked with a blank look, "Did you invite anyone over?"

"Ah... No... And I don't think Mom is expecting anyone," she added, shaking her head.

Akie in question ran down the hall, wiping back a few strands of hair in an attempt to make herself more presentable. "I've got it," she called out, opening the door only to pause in confusion. "...Ah? You are..?"

"Ahh... Sorry to intrude," a familiar voice stated, Keiichi blinking in response. Hang on now... Th-Those two again? He moved to look around Shizuka, frowning as the voice continued. What the hell were the chances! "Is Shizuka here..?"

"What... Yes," she said with a fairly confused tone, blinking a few times. "But who are you two?"

"We're friends of her brothers," the second voice said rather plainly, Shizuka as well raising her eyebrows confusedly. Friends of Jonouchi's? "Can we see her?" he asked, Akie pausing for another moment before nodding.

"Ah... Well, I suppose so," she said after a moment. "She's just in the living room..." The woman moved back from the door, heading back to the kitchen and leaving the teens to shut the door and come in. "I'm going to need more tea cups," she muttered, biting her lip.

A few footsteps sounded through the room, the two teens from the station walking in only to jump as those in the living room stared. "H-HEH! Dinosaur Ryuzaki?" the taller shouted, his friend looking back at him with slight distaste before shaking his head. "What are you doing he-" Eh!

Wait, this was one of the 'peanut gallery' guys from the Duelist Kingdom! "Erm... Keichi-kun?" Shizuka said somewhat nervously, "Do you know these two..?" He shook his head, staring.

"Nope... Though the taller one knows your brother," he added, blinking a few times.

"Hang on, Keiichi?" The shorter turned, raising his eyebrows as if to say 'what, you thought 'dinosaur' was his name?'

Keiichi rolled his eyes, pulling a face as he collapsed back against the couch. "Tch... And here I thought I would be able to relax," he muttered, shaking his head.

"But why is Dinosaur Ryuzaki h-" The teen was quickly smacked over the head, his friend rolling his eyes as he scowled.

"I don't think now is really the time," he muttered, before turning to look at Shizuka with a frown. "Aaah... ...You..." Gh- Shit, they probably figured the same thing Jonouchi did...

Keiichi sent a warning glare at the teen, watching as he coughed and shook himself off.

"I'm Otogi Ryuuji," he said with a somewhat broken smile, bowing his head as he introduced himself. "And this is Honda..." 'Honda' nodded at that, blinking a few times. "We... Ah..."

Honda coughed, staring at Shizuka's bandages and shaking himself. "We'd come to visit, and..." He looked to the side, Keiichi rolling his eyes. "And..." Oh for fuck's sakes...

"Jonouchi knows," he growled darkly, "Now stop staring." The two both coughed at the hissed remark, paling just slightly as they regained their composure. "R-Right... You know what," Honda said with a cough, "I'll get straight to the point... Seeing how Ryuzaki is here, you probably know about the Battle City tournament..." That would be expected yes...

Shizuka nodded in response, listening as Honda continued on.

"Your brother's participating in it right now actually," he added offhandedly, shaking his head. "But that's not why we're here." It wasn't..? ...Yeah he should probably have guessed actually...

"To tell the truth," Otogi said with a frown, leaning against the wall with crossed arms, "Your brother has been seeing better days..."

"W-What..?" What she said actually. He looked fine to him, outside the bizarreness of the duel against Roba!

The two teens continued to frown as Shizuka and Keiichi shared 'looks', before nodding. "He's acting depressed... Not talking as much," he said with a frown, "Constantly staring off... We'd thought that a surprise visit from you would cheer you up," Honda added, scratching his head and sighing. "Why the hell he didn't tell us that this was the reason though, I-"

WAIT WAIT WAIT-

"Jonouchi found out today," Keiichi growled, narrowing his eyes, "Now drop the damn subject."

The others turned, blinking at the quickly debunked theory. "T-Today?" Honda repeated, blinking as the Osakan nodded.

"...I told him," he said quietly, crossing his arms and turning back to Shizuka. "He's probably fighting for you right now when I think about it..."

"For me?" Shizuka repeated, unable to see Honda and Otogi nod in response.

"That sounds like something he would do," Honda said, crossing his arms and turning away with a frown. "Fighting to give you courage to take those bandages off..."

"A-Ah..." The girl swallowed, 'looking' to the ground with a red face at that. "Nihan..."

Otogi coughed, frowning. "Before we even go into that," he muttered dryly, "Could you explain how Jonouchi winning a game would give any sense of accomplishment to his sister?" Completely missing the point there...

The teen snorted, ignoring the fact that the other three were raising their eyebrows in response. "Aaaaagh... You just don't get it," Honda muttered, frowning as he continued. "People have to help each other out sometimes, you know? And because of that, people can give other people courage, or any other kind of mood... It works both ways," he added, looking to Shizuka as the girl continued to bow her head. "You share one thing, they'll share another back..."

S-Shizuka... Keiichi watched as the girl remained silent, biting his lip. "Oi... Shizka-chan," he asked quietly, "Are you... Are you alright..?"

There was a loud sniff, Shizuka nodding as the boys looked at her worriedly. "Yes... Yes I'm fine..." She didn't sound like it... "I think I know what Honda-kun is saying," she continued, swallowing as the others held silence. "...Honda-kun, Otogi-kun," the girl stated, turning to where their voices were coming from, "If it's not to much trouble... I'll come with you to Domino!"

There was a choking noise from the side, the others turning as Shizuka's mother walked in with a tray of tea. "D-Domino?" she repeated incredulously, eyes wide.

The girl nodded, biting her lip before speaking. "That's right! Mom... Dad can't find me right now," she said calmly, grabbing her arms in unease, "And nihan's friends say he needs help, so..."

Akie blinked, silence falling over the room before she slowly nodded with a sigh. "Al... Alright then," the woman muttered, placing the tray on the coffee table with a weak smile. "...Provided these boys can provide your train fare," she added somewhat dryly, looking to the two as they nodded furiously.

"We've got it covered," Honda said quickly, Otogi bowing his head politely as he continued. "There's no need to worry, Kawai-san!"

The woman continued to stare at the boys, before nodding slowly and turning to leave the room. "...Alright then..." ...Not just them though.

"..Kawai-san," Keiichi stated, standing up as the others turned to him with raised eyebrows. "...If it helps," he said somewhat hesitantly, "I think I'll be going too."

"Gh- You too?" Honda muttered with a growl, receiving narrowed eyes from the Osakan in response. Oh come on, just because he'd fought Jonouchi in the Duelist Kingdom...

"Yeah, me too. Maybe you're fine with this," the teen growled darkly, "But we barely even know you two! Besides," he added, gritting his teeth as he crossed his arms. "I'm not coming along as a duelist; I'm coming as 'Ryuzaki Keichi'! There won't be any fights! That in itself should be enough shouldn't it?" he asked, the others looking at Honda with questioning stares.

There was a bit of silence, before the teen nodded. "R-Right... Ah..."

"If we leave now," Shizuka said calmly, the others turning to her as she grabbed their attention, "We can catch the five o'clock train..."

"That's right... It leaves Shin-Osaka station in- ..." The boys went pale, older two running for the door and their shoes as Keiichi rolled his eyes. Oh come on, they wouldn't be late or anything...

Although...

He turned to his friend, the girl currently heading for the door herself. "You want me to piggy-back you Shizka-chan..?"

"Piggy b-" The girl turned to him, eyebrows furrowed in what was likely anger as she grabbed her shoes. "Are you saying I'm slow?" she shouted, the others in the hall staring in somewhat shocked confusion.

"N-No!" No it wasn't, honestly! "It's so that you don't bump into anything," he protested, choking somewhat. "I just thought it would help, and we could get their faster and-!" Shit, that last one didn't help the slow comment...

And she knew that... "You..."

"We're going to be late!" Honda called to the two, both he and Otogi holding the door open as the others turned.

The two jumped, before Keiichi hurriedly grabbed his shoes and waited for Shizuka to do the same. "Piggy-back it is," she said with a slight blush, the two charging out the door. The girl turned back, waving at where her mother was standing in the doorway. " _Ittekimas_ -!" she shouted, adjusting something on her back before awkwardly climbing on Keiichi's own.

" _Itterashai!_ " the woman called in response, Keiichi adjusting his grip on Shizuka before taking off.

The teen barrelled past the others, turning back as the two stared with somewhat dumbfounded expressions. Oh come on, was it seriously that weird... "Come ON!"

"H-Hah!"

"Right," the two said with a cough, taking off to join the others at a decent speed. Alright...

About ten or so minutes from the station, which would give them ten minutes to get tickets for the subway that would get them to Shin-Osaka in time... "Oi, Honda?" Keiichi shouted, looking back again as the teen nodded. "You and Otogi are getting Shizuka's tickets for the train and subway right?" he asked, Shizuka as well turning back at the question.

"Er... Y-Yeah," the taller shouted, looking to his friend and shrugging at the glare he received.

Something told him Honda didn't have any money...

"You're paying for yourself though!" he added with a frown, the group turning down a side street as the small station came into view. Heh heh heh...

He was covered, he had a pass. "Whatever," he muttered, smirk dying down as he slowed up to let Shizuka off. "We're at the station now, I'll help you up the stairs... We'll be waiting on the benches then alright?" he shouted to the other two, the teens nodding as they ran up the steps to the ticket machine. "Hah..."

He led Shizuka off to the side by the tracks, shaking his head as he rubbed his shoulder. Not making a comment on weight, not making a comment on it... "Neh, Keichi-kun..." The teen turned, blinking as his bag was handed to him from the girl. E-Eh... How did she-

...She did have something on her back a few moments ago he supposed...

"I found it in the hall," she said calmly, sitting on the station bench with a small smile. "I didn't think you should forget it..." O-Oh...

Keiichi nodded, taking it and slinging it over his right shoulder before sitting down himself. "Y-Yeah... I guess not," he muttered, looking back at the girl. "Thanks..."

"It's nothing," she said in response, bowing her head again and 'staring' at the ground. This silence...

...Shizuka... Keiichi bit his lip, frowning. "Hey... Are you alri-"

"I'm fine!" The teen tensed somewhat, backing away as the girl shook and continued her 'staring' contest with the ground. "I... I'm just..." She bit her lip, continuing to tremble as her voice quieted. "I know that Katsuya-nihan needs me," she whispered, friend coming close again as she shook, "And that I need to be brave for him but..." ...But? "But I'm scared!" she cried with a sudden shout, arms wrapped around herself as Keiichi stared with a bit lip. "I'm scared! I'm scared that the bandages will come off and I'll still see nothing but black, like before the surgery! That the pictures in my room will gather dust, that I'll never see your face, my brother's face, my mother's face... I don't want it to disappear," she cried, leaning against her friend with a wail and ignoring the initial tenseness the teen had with the contact. "I don't want it to go away!"

"S-Shizka..." The teen swallowed, rubbing the girl's back as he looked away with an awkward blush. She'd never said all that before... Hell, he knew she was scared but... "It... It's alright," he said quietly, turning back to Shizuka with worried eyes. "Even if you don't take the bandages off... It'll be alright!"

"Gh... Nnn..." D-Don't cry... Don't... "I want to see him," the girl whispered, curling in on herself with a choke. "I WANT TO SEE HIM!" she shouted, tears staining her bandages and running down her cheeks from the bottom. "I WANT TO SEE KATSUYA!" There was a small bit of silence, Keiichi swallowing as the girl continued to cry beside him.

"...H-Hey... It'll be alright," he said quietly, ignoring the approach of the other two teens as he attempted to comfort his friend. He'd never... Never seen her like this, at least not for a while.

...The train would be there soon though. He looked out at the tracks, turning back to Shizuka before continuing.

"...Come on," he said with a smirk, helping the girl up with a smile. "Let's go find that moron and remind him he's got more than cards to fight for, alright? Give him a bit of a surprise... Okay?"

The girl swallowed, nodding weakly as the train pulled in to let them on. "R-Right," she said quietly, forcing a grin on her face with a swallow. The four headed onto the train, smile becoming more honest as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Let's go."

Time to go 'baka'-hunting.


	11. God Save Us From The Queen

It had probably been about half an hour since the 'disk thief' had left to get his former opponent. With that in mind it was probably twenty minutes since Honda and Otogi had left for Osaka, given that it apparently left at quarter after.

And when Anzu checked her phone moments before, it was already close to one. Which meant that in about an hour and a half, Honda and Otogi would be... IN... Osaka. Something that he wouldn't have been able to prevent even if he'd run for the station as soon as he found out, half an hour ago. Lousy little...

The blond scowled at the thought, arms crossed as he attempted to push the thought from mind. Maybe if he was lucky Ryuzaki was on that train, and his presence would scare them away. Or that they'd just get lost. He wasn't picky really.

Maybe the train would just crash! ...Yeah not likely.

"Hahhh..." Katsuya sighed, looking down the street as the time continued to tick by. "What th' hell is takin' him so long," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. Another sigh came from behind the blond, Katsuya turning as Anzu frowned. "I'm telling you Jonouchi... He's not coming! You've been tricked," she continued, shaking her head. "All we're doing now is waiting for the sun to set."

Bakura nodded at that, scratching his cheek as he looked away awkwardly. "She has a point," he said quietly, biting his lip. "Perhaps we should just find someone else to duel..."

"Gh..." The blond shook his head, adamant about staying but. "No way," he shouted, turning back to the two. "He's comin' back, tru-"

"So..." Eh? That voice? "We meet again!" Gh-

What the... Katsuya turned, eyes widening briefly as a familiar duelist stepped forward with a smirk. Oh hell. This... This guy... "Insector Haga!" The blond swallowed as he stared at the boy, shaking himself as he held his tongue. The sight of Haga was alarming enough he'd admit- a part of him had really hoped he'd been knocked out. But the bugs...

He was literally swarming with bugs. Insects, spiders, all kinds of tiny creepy-crawlies, clinging to the boy's jacket, shoes, glasses... And there was no way they were all real, given the shape of the moth hovering beside him!

Haga chuckled from across the three, stepping forward in the otherwise empty square. "Hehehehehe! Long time no see Jonouchi," the boy said with a grin, clicking his duel disk into place with a laugh. The sides swiftly moved forward to attach at the center, Katsuya watching as Haga slipped a deck of cards into the holder and continued forward. "It's been a while since Duelist Kingdom hasn't it?" he asked, grinning darkly as he stopped a few feet from the blond. "You've improved since then I would imagine... But I think you've gone far enough!" Far enough? As if!

Like hell he'd lose to this guy... Though for all the underhanded cheating this asshole did, he couldn't deny this was the former champion of Tokyo. Not to mention all those bugs... Were the monsters just as petty as their 'summoner', or was there something he was missing?

Katsuya grit his teeth, stepping back somewhat as he looked over the boy. Even after half a year this kid still looked like the same snotty little creep who thought it'd be smart to get on his and Yugi's bad side. Why the hell was this guy targeting him though, and not Yugi, he thought with narrowed eyes, continuing to stare at the boy suspiciously. Or Ryuzaki for that matter Katsuya thought, thinking back to his conversation with the teen. If he was really as 'sticky' as the guy had said, why was he here?

"You..." Why... "Jonouchi... Don't give this jerk the honor of a fight," Anzu shouted, glaring at the boy as Katsuya frowned. "He threw Yugi's cards into the ocean," she continued in protest, "You can't forget that!" Tch-

Why the hell would he forget something like that! Haga merely laughed at that however, a wicked smirk in place as the others turned narrowed scowls at the boy. "Heheheheh! My my... To think such a cute girl remembers me so well..." O-Oi oi oi...

That was the worst thing you could ever say to An-

Ah, too late. "Gh!" The woman tensed at the comment, putting as much distance between herself and the boy as possible as she gave a shuddering scowl. "Uggggh... You _PIG_ ," she growled under her breath, gritting her teeth as Haga continued to smirk oddly. Katsuya snorted as Bakura nervously glanced at Anzu, attempting to get over the number of 'overprotective' insect spirits floating around the boy in front of him. Evidently, they didn't take too kindly to having their 'summoner' snubbed...

Not that he cared, he thought with a smirk. "Heh... More like a fly," he muttered, the smirk widening into a grin. "Ain't tha' right, y' bug freak? If you wanna fight," he shouted, clicking his duel-disk 'on' with narrowed eyes as it clacked together and settled into place, "Then lets go!"

"Hehehehe... Quick to the punch aren't you," Haga said with a sneer, the bugs around him giving similar looks as his opponent scowled. "In that case we'd better get started, shouldn't we?" Hn! Guess so!

"J-Jonouchi-kun..." Bakura frowned, looking from the blond to his opponent. "Are you really fighting him?" he asked quietly, staring at Haga in suspicion.

He nodded, stepping forward with narrowed eyes despite the growing, nagging feeling in his stomach. "Heh! You bet I am," he said plainly, brushing the hair from his eyes as he and Haga took their positions. "What do you wanna bet this is the guy that kid was talking about, th' one who stole 's stuff," he growled, watching as Haga's grin grew in response. Oh...

Now that was all he needed to see. It was on.

"Tch... I'll straighten y' out wi' a beatdown that'll have you in a body-cast y little rat!"

"Hehehehhe! You think so?" the boy said with a sneer, holding his disk forward as the insect swarm around him fled for the deck on his wrist. Within mere seconds what was an entire swarm became a green 'mist', enveloping the deck before settling to the innocent, 'normal' looking stack of cards it had been before. Nothing too 'weird' after everything else though he decided, pushing the sight from his mind quickly.

"Hn! I know so," he responded, a wind seemingly picking up around the pair. "Let's do this Haga!"

"J-Jonouchi..!" The blond turned as Anzu came over, eyes narrowed as she spoke under her breath. "Come on... You know what kind of a person he is," she muttered, looking back at the boy with a scowl. "He has to be up to something... He's too much of a coward for anything else!" ...Yeah...

Probably he told himself, blinking a few times. But in all honesty... "...Anzu," he said calmly, turning to the woman briefly for another moment. "A true 'duelist', at leas' by my definition," he added with a nod, "Doesn' run away. From anyone," he explained seriously, swallowing as he continued on. "Only cowards do tha'... An I ain't fightin' alone," the blond continued, glancing at his deck for a moment. "I got friends here righ' with me!" Even though those friends had bad habits of questioning his abilities if they were over five feet tall.

Jerks. " _Hnhnhnhn..._ " Chuckling came through the air in an echo, seemingly resonating from his wrist as Katsuya glanced down. " _Damn straight._ " E-Ehh! That voice...

Panther Warrior? The blond shook it off mentally, holding his duel disk forward as the lifepoint meter reset. Heh...

Looked like the Panther was ready to fight again then! He gave himself a nod, the wind continuing to pick up as he steeled his resolve. "This duel," he said seriously, "I'm fightin' for a reason... T' give Shizuka the courage she needs to remove those bandages... An' t' keep my word wi' Yugi!" Now then...

Time to get started. "We'll use the standard wager," Haga shouted, giving the blond a nod as he gestured to his deck. There was no 'proof of prize' with this guy it looked like. "One puzzle card, and one rare card," he shouted clearly, the blond nodding in response. Jinzo and a puzzle card in his case then...

"Got it!" Even if it was double, he'd still be in. He'd be two cards down, but he'd be in. But even so one was better than nothing... Even if it meant that rats like Haga would still be around after this match. The blond drew his cards, narrowing his eyes at the thought before drawing his hand of cards.

"Duel!" the two boys cried, disks responding automatically as a slight 'shudder' passed over the 'boundaries' of the field.

"I go first!” Katsuya shouted, already knowing what was in his hands without looking from the field. He grabbed a card, setting it on the disk as a stone tablet rose from the ground in response. "Get ready," he called out, thick and detailed carving tracing itself out in the stone as smoke filled its form, "I summon... PANTHER WARRIOR!"

The monster leaped out from the tablet with far more speed than previous summons from his last duel. Sword in hand the beast took a few confident steps forward, cracking his neck before examining his opponent with mild distaste. " _Hn... Second duel of the day,_ " he muttered under his breath, stretching out somewhat with a yawn. " _I suppose I had enough sleep..._ " Oi oi...

What was with cats and sleep... Katsuya decided not to answer to the panther's comment, instead looking across the field with a smirk. "Heh... This guy ain't losin' t' no bug Haga, y' got that?"

'That guy' also smirked in response to the comment, taking a battle ready stance with a wide and toothy grin. " _Gimme yer worst_!" ...Alright, given the continuing grin on his opponent's face, that was likely the worst thing he could have possibly said. Hands down.

"Hnhnhnhnh..." The chuckling was a bad sign as well really... Not that he was saying anything for the moment. "Alright then... I'll play once face down card," Haga announced with a grin, Katsuya gritting his teeth as a blank tablet appeared on the field. Hated, hated, hated these... "Followed by the Skull-Mark Ladybug in defense mode!" Sku-

Nyh? The blond watched as a small-sized tablet came over the field, the outline of the ladybug carving itself out to the field as noxious green smoke wrapped around it. This monster? The smoke continued to hover around around the stone, tablet remaining dormant despite the seemingly 'moving' inscription on its form. What the hell was that written at the bottom, hieroglyphs? Damn this sucked...

Though really, a tablet that size... He just had to laugh, he really did. "Heh... ...HAH! You call that a monster?" he said with a grin, ignoring the narrowing eyes of the bug on the tablet. Huh... Weird, he thought for a brief moment, it wasn't even summoned... Oh well. "Bugs, bugs, an' more bugs..." The blond shook his head, still laughing as his opponent seethed. “Tha' all y got?" he shouted, grin widening further. "Ev'n Ryuzaki uses dragons sometimes! Don't y' ever use somethin' else?"

Haga remained silent in response to the jibe, a scowl nonetheless becoming prominent on the boy's face. " _I wouldn't laugh if I were you_ ," Panther Warrior muttered darkly, the blond's grin fading somewhat as he followed his monster's gaze. Haga's scowl had vanished for no apparent reason at that moment it looked like. And...

Oooh... That grin wasn't good. Even so he would still beat that, he told himself with a swallow. "Tch... 'T's my turn!" he shouted, drawing another card and setting it on the field without looking. That tablet arose just slightly to his right, a small, child-sized carving with no visible face appearing on it's form. "Another monster," Katsuya announced, smoke filling the lines of the tablet as a figure began to step out from it, "Little Winguard!"

The monster hopped out with a shout at those words, sword drawn and shield held at the ready as his tiny golden eyes shone brightly. " _Hah_!" Oh hey, he even sounded like a kid... The 'monster' hopped in place somewhat, raising his sword with an unseen grin. " _Let's go_!" The Panther Warrior rolled his eyes as the 'child's antics, Katsuya merely smirking. Hehehe...

Okay then! He couldn't argue with that! "Panther Warrior!" he shouted, the black cat drawing his blade and facing the ladybug 'tablet' across from him with a blank expression. "Attack!" The monster charged forward with a yowling cry, blade grinding it's way through the dust only for him to freeze. It had collapsed easily enough of course; other than the clean 'line' made by the blade, cracks had spiderwebbed through the entire structure, until the entire tablet collapsed into dust.

But despite Bakura's cries behind him, something seemed off. "A-Ah! Good move Jonouchi-ku-"

"AHHHH..." The albino was quickly cut off, Anzu's eyes widening. "J-Jonouchi!" Katsuya turned, blinking as the woman paled. "I just remembered... That card restores lifepoints when its destroyed!"

Wait, WHAT!

"Hehahahaaah!" Katsuya turned as his opponent's grin widened, the boy's chuckling growing into a cackle as smoke continued to rise from the tablet's ruins. "Exactly! I must thank you," Haga said with a grin, laughing wickedly as the haze wrapped around him completely. The fog momentarily shrouded the boy from view, before sinking into his body and fading from sight completely. "That just gave me five hundred more lifepoints! And what's more, I don't take any damage! HAHAHAHA!" M-More life!

Damn it all...! " _Tch..._ " The Panther Warrior turned on his summoner with narrowed eyes as their turn 'ended', shaking his head. " _I thought you gained a 'heads up' on these things_ ," the monster growled, Katsuya sending it a sharp glare in response. Oh sure, this was his fault? All he'd seen were weird symbols and smoke, that wasn't a helpful fact!

"Gh- An you don'?" he hissed, the Little Winguard shaking his head at the argument as the monster and his summoner both continued to glare at each other.

" _Hahhh... And you guys think I'm annoying,_ " he asked with a sigh, looking at the two as he crossed his arms. What? Katsuya turned, shaking himself at the statement with a frown. No! He didn't think...

Oh. Right... The other monsters...

The blond shook himself out of the monster's conversation, instead watching as Haga set another card on the field. The tablet that appeared on the field this time was again smaller than most, likely about half the size of the 'standard' one. All the same this didn't mean the detail in the carving wasn't well done. "Hehehe! Now that you're done with your move, it's my turn," Haga announced gleefully, grin becoming still darker as the tablet settled to a still dormant state. "Pinch Hopper, in defense mode," he cried, the blond gritting his teeth as the image on the tablet appeared to turn its attention to the blond. Just plain stone stood before them, appearing slightly worn and faded under the sun. No smoke.

Not like the last one he noted, jaw clenched. Damn it, he really should have known! "Hehehehe..." Haga continued to chuckle from across the blond, his opponent narrowing his eyes in response. "Go ahead and attack all you want," he said darkly, grin taking a fox-like appearance as he spoke. "It's not like you don't have the advantage after all..."

"Gh..." Katsuya swallowed, tensing up as the look from Haga persisted. "Gettin' that fr'm you 's never good," he muttered, the Little Winguard nodding furiously in response.

" _Hah... You got that right!_ "

Panther Warrior rolled his eyes at that, turning to the 'boy' with a slight frown. " _You realize he can't say anything back to us right?_ "

The smaller monster blinked, silent for a few moments as he laughed under his breath. " _...Erm... ...Yes..?_ " If it was 'yes' then stop talking god damn it! Aaaaaahhhh...

Alright. Katsuya took a deep breath and shut his eyes for a moment, calming himself down before looking across the field with a scowl. To hell if he knew the hows and whys of 'knowing' about this crap, but these bugs...

The blond growled, narrowing his eyes as the 'pinch hopper' appeared to give an odd 'grin' from the tablet's carving. Damned pest. He destroyed that grass hopper and Haga would just get another bug! And for all he knew, that would be the same stupid moth the guy tried to pit Yugi against!

He bit his lip, looking back at his hand for a moment and narrowing his eyes. Right now he had Jinzo, Roba's card... He could sacrifice the two on the field to summon him and he'd be immune to traps, which could mean one less thing to worry about when it came to that blank tablet over there...

Not to mention a nice powerful monster on the field he decided with a mental nod, moving to take his turn. Katsuya reached at the deck to draw his next card, only to jump with horror and shock both as his hands grabbed something other than paper. Hissing met his ears as his fingers gripped a set of cold 'bony' legs, the blond's face draining of colour as he stared at it.

"W-WHAT TH' HELL-!"

The thing in his hands resembled an insect of sorts from the front, antennae and legs both. Cruel pinchers curved from its mouth, and it hissed angrily at the blond as he held it in his grasp, free legs flailing as it clicked in continued rage. That wasn't what he was staring at though. By the end that he was grabbing it by, the end where he was holding three 'randomly' placed legs, it was something far, far more twisted.

Legs jutted from every point possible, slime covered tentacles writhing in his grip and slapping coldly against his skin. It was taking all he could not to drop the 'card' right there, not to mention what it took to keep from dousing it in his lunch. "G-Ghhh..."

The monster screeched loudly at the continued grip, his own pair jumping back with wide eyes and gaping mouths. " _Th- The Parasite card!_ " Little Winguard shouted with a cry, sword falling to the ground with a loud clatter as his eyes seemingly shrank with fear.

The panther as well was backing away, hissing under his breath as his tail bristled and twitched. " _This... We've been set up!_ " Set up! No shit, this wasn't even his-

The blond's grip tightened as the 'insect' dug its pinchers into his hand, Katsuya biting back a cry of pain as the wound in question quickly took a sickeningly green tone. Despite the grip continuing to hold however he found himself watching numbly as it leaped forward at the others, leaving a card in his hand as it gave a feral and ear-splitting cry. Within a single moment it had found the weak, exposed flesh of the monsters, giving it the same 'kiss' it had to him. The Panther Warrior was first, the monster landing on its sword arm as the beast raised the blade to it in reflex. "GH..." Little Winguard was next, the mutated 'insect' leaping at its face as the monster attempted to pull it off in vain. Oh no...

" _GLOAAAR... GRAAAG..._ " Choking sounds filled the air as the Panther Warrior brought his hands to his throat, only to be forced to bring the right hand back down as it swelled to an impossible size. Tentacles burst from the monster's mouths, Winguard and the Panther Warrior both writhing in pain as the source of the poison settled calmly between the two. Extra legs were breaking free from the gaps in their armor... Pinchers, 'thorns', exoskeletons developing wherever possible...

" _Gr... Gaaaahg.._ " The monsters both fell to the ground as the mutation continued, their summoner's eyes widening in horror. " _Raaaagh... Glhk..._ " They couldn't talk, couldn't move... Tentacles had burst from inside and around the Panther's mouth, pinchers forming from the Little Winguard's unseen mouth. This was...

"You..." Katsuya narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he attempted to block out the sounds of pain. "What did you do t' my monsters!" the blond roared, turning to look at Haga with a snarl. "WHAT IS THIS-"

He choked, biting his tongue as a sharp, stinging pain ran through his right hand. The pain quickly grew as he held his tongue, wincing as he kept his gaze on the field rather than his hand. Why the hell was-

Katsuya swallowed, paling as a shudder passed through his arm. Why-

...The bite...

His eyes widened, expression falling even faster as he lost the feeling in his fingers.

Oh shit. 'Shadow of the Eyes' effected him in Duelist Kingdom... Crush Card Virus did the same, and that had happened before that fight! So if that was the case them, what would happen with...

"Gh..."

Haga chuckled from across the teen, glasses giving off an eerie glow as his opponent kept himself from looking at his hand. "Hehehehehe... Parasite Paracide," the boy 'explained' smugly, the insect as well seeming to beam with pride. "Once drawn," he continued with a grin, "It's automatically summoned to the field, infesting your monsters with flesh-eating, mutating worms and making them insects just like it!" Insects? ...Wait, so then his right hand was-

He swallowed, attempting to push the thought from mind. Gh... Not good. Behind him, the others were speaking... Bakura was first, voice laced with obvious confusion. ' _But why would Jonouchi-kun-_ '

' _That's not his card,_ ' Anzu shouted angrily, cutting her friend off yet again. _'Ohhh, I knew that kid was up to no good!_ ' Damn it, way to prove his beliefs wrong again!

And here he'd hoped things would work out for once... The blond's fingers twitched, 'Parasite' moving to along the ground to bask in the sun until it was needed again. "Tch... You little shit," he muttered, momentarily speaking to the monster and its owner both before turning his attentions back to Haga. "Slipping cards in my deck!"

"Hehehehehe... A little late now isn't it?" Haga said with a sneer, Katsuya's free-hand clenching on the card only for the blond to bite back a shout at the lack of sensation. Gh-!

What the hell happened to it!

"A truly brilliant strategist starts his plan before the battle after all... And my deck has complete power over insects!" Don't remind him... Please. "I can make them do whatever I like... Understand?" Haga said darkly, opponent's teeth grinding in frustration as he continued, "There's no way you can possibly win... And frankly you should have thought to check your deck before the duel! Hnhnhahaha!"

Rgggg...

Katsuya shook as his opponent continued to laugh, briefly wondering if his hand was still 'healthy' enough to punch the brat in the face. "It's a wonderful feeling isn't it?" he asked, gesturing to the field as the two mutated monsters attempted to regain their bearings. "A field full of insects! You might as well put that card on the field now," he continued with a sneer, the blond growling under his breath, "Because it's going to be there for a long time heheheheh..." Alright that was it damn it...

Not looking at the disk as he set the card into place Katsuya scowled, ignoring the tablet that appeared on the field as a result. Little 'Parasite' looked a little too happy about that, god damned rat...

"Trus' me Haga," the blond muttered dangerously, "When this duel 's over I'm gonna show y' just how 'wonderful' it is!" Not to mention what a 'right hook' was... "But it's still my turn, got it?" he continued, watching as his monsters gave weak nods in response. They'd fight, even with the obvious handicap... Panther Warrior would have to use that 'hand' instead of his sword for now. And Little Winguard was having some trouble dealing with the extra legs...

Of course, taking his next turn meant looking at his...

Hand...

Eh...

Katsuya pulled a face, growing green as he turned and looked at the mess the parasite had done. Obviously it wasn't affecting him as much, given the fact that he hadn't been brought to his knees howling in pain... And thank god for that! But from the bite mark down the skin had taken a sick, green hue, fingers mutating into individual 'legs' as his palm became covered in the same thick exoskeleton the rest of his monsters were covered in. And while pretending that his hand was covered in an armored green 'glove' wouldn't have been too bad, it was ultimately impossible to ignore the few 'tentacles' that had sprung randomly from the back of his hand. So really he thought with a swallow, attempting to steady himself with a deep breath, there was no ignoring this.

It wasn't as bad as he'd expected though, given that it ended a short way up his arm rather than continuing on. He went back to his hand of cards with a sigh as he kept that in mind, only to freeze as he moved to grab the Jinzo card. No...

He knew it already for the same reason he knew about Pinch Hopper but...

The blond's eyes narrowed as a sudden flash came through his mind, wide and enraged eyes glaring across at his opponent as he moved his hand away from the cards. That little rat... The Parasite had a second effect! Even so he held his tongue, instead pointing his monsters forward for an attack. Damn it...

Lockdown! Haga had stuck him in a lock down! He couldn't sacrifice his monsters, leaving him crippled! "Tch... God damn it..." His opponent appeared to smirk at the realized 'weakness', remaining silent as Katsuya continued his move. "Panther Warrior, Little Winguard," he ordered, the monsters taking offensive stances as they stumbled on extra legs. "Double attack!"

"Hehehehehe! Realize that high level summoning was impossible then?" Haga shouted with a grin, not flinching as the Panther Warrior reached out toward the Pinch Hopper's stone tablet. "Well tough luck again!" Again! Katsuya tensed as the blank tablet began revealing a carved image on its form, watching the image carve itself free as its summoner continued. "Reveal Face Down Card," the boy announced, the tablet breaking into a fine dust before shielding the Pinch-Hopper's hiding place from attack. "Insect Barrier!" The monsters froze as the dust met their eyes, backing away with strangled and choked shouts as it filled their lungs. The dust continued to fill the field as they fled, eventually settling to a stop and forming a thick and impenetrable wall before the monsters, both themselves and their summoner wheezing under the dusts' effects. Gh...

Hell even from here it was stinging his eyes... But to add insult to injury, he couldn't attack now either! A continual spell, sitting tightly on the field...

"Hnhehahaha..." If he could just swipe that smirk off this brat's face... "You see where I'm going with this?" Haga 'asked' with a wicked grin, eyes narrowed as his grin grew further. "The parasite consumes more than 50% of your monster's body mass, transforming them into a new species... What affects insects affects them!" And him as well! The blond held his tongue, instead swallowing back a shudder that had developed with those words. "This spell will serve a nice permanent barrier between them and me I would think," Haga was adding with a sneer, voice somewhat faded as his opponent continued to bite back a scream. No one could see it, no one could see it, no one could...

_'All insects can't attack_ '... Unless they wanted to die a choking, painful death in that dust cloud at least, weakened even without the move. So what the hell did that make him he wondered, glancing at his hand with weak eyes. He sure didn't feel like '50%' of his body was being eaten away... Hell if that happened, wouldn't he be dead, his organs 'missing' for reasons unknown only to him?

Katsuya shuddered again, head sinking forward somewhat as he choked on the dusty air. "Gh... Hng..." Hah... Hah... That dust was making it hard to breathe... Somehow his monsters were doing alright, despite having been brought to their knees, but... "Gh..."

"..JONOUCHI!" The blond jerked his eyes open, turning as Anzu looked at him from the side. "Jonouchi," she continued to shout, voice growing louder as Katsuya forced himself to regain his strength, "If you close your eyes don't even think of facing your sister!" Don'...

He tensed, straightening himself with a nod before turning back to the woman and frowning. "Tch... Moron," he growled, ignoring his hand as it gave another involuntary twitch. "Do you really think I'd give up?" he shouted, looking back at the field. "I'm jus' tryin' t' think 'f a way around this!" This being... Well.

This. He looked at his hand again, swallowing back a wave of bile before staring across the field with determined eyes. His monsters... Real or not real they sure acted like it. They were fighting out his battles for his 'amusement' half of the time, taking every loss he'd gone through in stride. And for that reason... "Tch... Your turn bug-boy!" he shouted, narrowing his eyes as he clenched his fists. "Bring it!"

Haga squinted in response to that, pulling a face as he shook his head. "Heheh... Hehe... Tch..." The laughter faded as he opted to stop forcing a chuckle, instead frowning somewhat as he was met with a steady glare. "Don't you ever give up," he muttered, shaking his head as he stared at the blond. "Well," the boy continued with a shrug, grabbing a card from his hand to set it on the field, "This just makes it more fun for me! I play the spell card Insecticide!" he shouted, Katsuya watching as a new tablet appeared through the haze of smoke. It was difficult to see the carving appearing on the tablet with the smoke in the way. Although it had cleared somewhat it was still proving to be an effective barrier, so when nothing poked through the cloud, he was a little more than surprised. The name though...

Well, it kinda gave him an idea of what would happen.

"Insecticide will kill any insect, no matter how powerful," Haga explained, opponent minutely tensing as he looked to his monsters. Any mo- "But I'm not destroying yours," he continued, the blond frowning. He wasn't... Katsuya narrowed his eyes, squinting as he stared into the dust before him. The tablet was hacking itself into a spray-can... Pinch Hopper's tablet was sitting directly below it, and within a few more seconds, in front of it... "After all," Haga stated calmly, Katsuya jumping as he realized his opponent's plan, "Killing Pinch Hopper allows me to summon any insect from my hand!" Gh-

Shit!

The spray-can released its poison on the tablet before it, silence hovering through the air on the field as Haga continued on. "With that in mind," the boy announced, "I destroy him, sending him to the grave to summon the highest level insect I own!" W-What... The highest... "And that card," he muttered with a dark grin, laughing under his breath as he set the card on the field, "IS THIS! THE INSECT QUEEN!" Quee-

It was difficult to see through the haze of the 'Insect Barrier' when the Insecticide came into play, possibly impossible even, he'd accepted that. But in those last moments the barrier appeared to thin even more, allowing the blond just enough vision to watch what happened. Before the spray took effect, Pinch Hopper had clambered out of its tablet, antennae twitching as the insect stared around the field. Within seconds however, Haga's spell took its toll; the spray of the Insecticide dissolved through Pinch Hopper's exoskeleton and left behind an acrid scent on the field, its dried husk of a body clattering to the ground and continuing to fade into smoke. But the smoke and tablet both remained on the field, even as the insecticide vanished from view.

Merging and building on each other, gathering dust and smoke to move from in front of Haga to directly behind the boy. What was a three-foot tall slab of stone rose to at least ten, the carved image changing, shifting. Smoke was swirling along the tablet's form, digging into the spider-like form as it glowed... Before an alien, mutant beast tore free of its stone, wings the size of cars beating the air as it angrily hissed at its opponents. This...

" _Greeeeeeeessssssssssssss_!"

An almost woman-like face and torso met Katsuya's eyes, antennae standing tall on the bald head of the eight-legged beast as it rose above its summoner to leer down at the blond from above. "Kh-!" Ohhhh shit...

OHHHHH shit... "Hehehehehe..." Please, for the love of everything stop laughing. "The Queen's power raises for every one of its kind on the field," Haga shouted with a grin, his opponent concerning himself with the size and ferocity of the boy's monster instead. "By 400 points at that! And that includes your monsters," he continued, Katsuya looking back down from the beast with a swallow. Gh...

Then the reason for the parasite-! He quickly scanned the field, eyes widening as numbers ran through his head. "Three monsters countin' Parasite..." Multiply by 400, add that to its attack... "Tch- 3400..!" And if he even heard a mutter about improbable math skills...

Damn it, it wasn't his fault if weird 'psychic' powers came with knowing the thing's attack power!

"Damn it..!"

"Hehehehehe... NOW my Queen," Haga ordered with a shout, the monster nodding as she turned her attention to her comparatively minuscule opponents. "Attack! QUEEN'S HELL BREATH!"

The Queen's mouth dropped open to an impossible length with the command, jaw seemingly unattached to the rest of her head as rows of razor sharp fangs were revealed. A glowing light seemed to come from inside the monster's mouth, and before the blond could realize what was happening a blast of acidic smoke barrelled its way from above the insect barrier's wall. " _G... Mnhhhhggg!_ " Little Wing-

It was aiming at-! The flames enveloped the tiny warrior as he ducked in fear, acid burning through armor and cloth both. Like a match to a pool of gasoline he caught fire instantly, smoke filling the air as the exoskeleton limbs glowed eerily from the inside. Despite the burning however, he never saw his face though. The warrior faced his opponent the entire time, shouts kept almost completely to himself as he curled in and became reduced to ash. Tch...

He... "The Little Winguard is eradicated!" Katsuya's opponent cheered, the Insect Queen closing its mouth with a clack. Katsuya grit his teeth as he stared across the field, before his expression again fell. The Queen was lowering herself to the ground, massive form curling inward as she stared at the ground... But why?

...Haga, it seemed, had the answer.

"Your monster left the field," he bragged, "But in its place, a new insect is born! For with every monster the Queen defeats," Haga announced with a mad cackle, his 'Queen' continuing to stare at the ground expectantly, "One of her eggs is laid upon the field!" M...

More bugs! As Haga spoke there was a disgusting, slurching noise, a round slime covered 'sack' falling to the ground. The viscous fluid slowly dripped and rolled off the egg it had covered, small noises meeting the air as the Insect Queen grinned. "...Hatching..." It was...

From the egg came more noises, the wet shells slowly cracking and pushing upward as it began to fall apart. The egg cracked further and further as the duelists stared, before a small six-legged 'worm' clambered free to shake itself of the remaining 'goo'. The Queen looked down at the insect with a 'grin' of sorts as the tiny bug 'squeaked', before both looked toward him with a sneer and took their positions on the field. Tch...

Not good... "Hnhnhn..." If this guy didn't stop laughing soon, he was shoving that 'egg' so far down his throat, he would- "There isn't much that can be said about its defense, or even its offense," Haga admitted with a shrug, his opponent looking toward the tiny insect with a fairly disgusted swallow. "But it makes a fine soldier for the Queen... I'll fill the entire field with these little cuties," he continued with a sneering grin, chuckling under his breath, "And then wipe the floor with you!" Bugs...

Tch... "Fuck..." Cute... Hah! Maybe to him... He had words to describe those things himself, but 'cute' sure as hell wasn't one of them. He drew his next card, keeping his eyes on the field rather than pay attention to his 'hand' as he moved to add it to his normal one. This had better go away when the duel was over damn it... And really, really fast...

Katsuya looked back at his card hand, before tensing.

...This card..! His eyes narrowed as he glanced at it, swallowing in an attempt to ignore the 'fingers' that were still just centimeters away. This... Hah...

He couldn't attack, he reminded himself, looking back on the field as he grabbed the card again. Moreover he thought with a grimace, if he played another monster it would end up going through the same hell Panther Warrior was... And power-up the Insect Queen further. But with this he thought, setting the card on the field with a faded stare...

"I set a card face down," he shouted, the blank tablet shooting up from the dust at his side. He brought his hand back to his side and out of sight, before nodding as the Panther Warrior stared at the stone slab behind him. "Turn over!"

"J-Jonouchi-kun!" The blond swallowed as the shouts started, Bakura and Anzu both paling as they stared at the field. Who knew what they were seeing, but whatever it was, at least it was 'mostly' field accurate in terms of game play... "You didn't put your monster's in defense mode!" Bakura shouted in a panic, Anzu as well giving worried shouts. No...

No he didn't, he thought with a mental nod, but there was a reason for-

"W-What..?" Katsuya blinked, watching as the small 'Parasite' monster scuttled forward into the 'front lines' to hiss angrily at the Insect Queen and it's child both. H-Hey, was the Parasite monster actually raring to fight?

...For him?

"It's too late!" Haga shouted, evidently taking his opponent's surprise as horror in the face of an apparent mistake. "You said 'turn over' and your monsters are in attack mode... There's no call backs!" he continued with a grin, Katsuya merely growling under his breath. This guy was way too damn smug... "Hehehe... As far as duelists go, you're worse than my newly hatched insects," Haga said with a sigh, ignoring the building rage of his opponent. Worse than larvae? He'd show him worse than- "Are you ready Jonouchi?" the boy shouted with a grin, pointing his most powerful monster forward with a laugh. "It's time for you to lose! INSECT QUEEN," he ordered, the demonic 'bug' already dropping her jaw for attack as its master announced the target, "DESTROY THE PANTHER WARRIOR!" Heh.

He knew it. The trap would only work to defend one monster...

Hehehehehe... "It looks like I guessed right," he said with a smirk, the blank tablet hurriedly carving itself out as he spoke. "Parasite Paracide is your monster when it comes down to it after all... You wouldn't attack yer own if y' didn' have t'," he continued, the Parasite in question merely hopping up and down in a taunt of sorts. "So I set a trap on Panther Warrior," Katsuya stated clearly, the two monsters on his field both hissing somewhat angrily as Haga paled.

"You..." The boy swallowed, staring across the field in shock as his opponent made his counterattack. "You left them in attack mode on purpose... As bait!" he continued with a shout, expression caught between shock and rage both. The blond smirked, nodding as his trap 'tablet' stood 'dormant' on the field. Currently the image of a 'pop-out' hand was clearly visible on its form. As for the image itself...

Yeah. He'd lured Haga in for that reason. "Hehehehehe... Damn straight!" he shouted, waving his hand over the field as the tablet glowed. "An' now I'm activatin' it... Magic Arm Shield! An f'r th' shield," he continued with a grin, 'doors' opening from the tablet as a spiked 'claw arm' sprung forward, "I'm takin' th' larva!"

"M-My larv-" The infantile bug gave a surprised squeak as 'tongs' launched out from the tablet across from it, pulling it forward to take the Panther Warrior's place in an already launched attack. "N-NO!" Haga wailed as the fired cloud of acid flew forward, the Queen's larva taking the hit and disolving with a small, pitiful cry. Like the Little Winguard before it the insect burst into flames, the fires spreading along the 'claw arm's wood to reduce both into nothing but ashes. "Her own young! You made her attack her own..." Haga stared across the field with dumbfounded horror, eyes appearing to water as he screamed. "G-G _HAAAAAAAAA_!"

"Heh! One bug down!" Katsuya shouted with a laugh, watching as the final remnants of the trap tablet cleared the field. "Hope y' don' mind if I steal one of yer lines Haga... But you might as well admit it now," he said with a grin, pointing forward with a narrowed smirk. "You're jus' like yer bugs Haga... Weak!"

"G..." The boy's expression quickly shifted back into anger, the shock keeping him more or less silent as he stared across the field. "Rggggg..."

" _Rsssssshhh..._ " Katsuya's smirk remained in place as the Insect Queen hissed from above, momentarily ignoring the size of the beast as it glowered. Heh... What, pissed off about it's 'baby'? " _Fieeeeeend... FIEEEEND_! " The smirk quickly died, the blond swallowing as he held back the urge to flee from the spot. Oh hell, the Queen could talk. " _Noooo MERCYYYYY...!_ " Oh HELL, the Queen could TALK!

And it looked as though its resolve, vengeance, and sheer rage had transferred to its summoner as well. "I still have the Queen!" Haga roared in anger, the Queen herself rearing up on her back legs with a hiss. "And the terror has just begun! This is the ultimate insect combo Jonouchi, and you'd do well to remember that," he growled, the Queen behind him giving a fearsome roar as it dropped its draw again. Tch...

The blond merely narrowed his eyes, glancing up at the Insect Queen before looking toward his opponent. He couldn't deny it was an insane lock-down, that was for sure... But he wasn't done yet! Someway, somehow... He was going to do more than just trick these things into attacking themselves! "Hn! You done yet?" he growled, drawing his next card and adding it to his hand. "It's my turn!" And his draw was...

Ugh... Katsuya hid a look of disappointment at the Graverobber he'd drawn, swallowing. Not good... He wouldn't be able to get an attack in with this.

Shit. He looked back to the field, instead flipping the cards on his disk with a swallow. "I put my monsters in d'fense mode," he shouted, watching as the Parasite and Panther Warrior were both sucked back into their respected tablets. "An end my turn!"

Haga chuckled from across the blond, grinning manically as his opponent growled. "Hehehehee... Nothing much you can do is there?" he said with a grin, eyes narrowed to mere slits as the sun gleamed against his glasses. "Now that it's my turn," he shouted, setting a card on his disk, "I summon Ari, the soldier ant!" Another small tablet rose up from the ground, simple carving of an ant appearing on its cover before becoming dormant on the field. Another defensive monster, weak as hell and protected by the barrier. Crap...

That left him right where he started!

"And now," Haga continued, grinning widely, "Attack, my Queen! QUEEN'S HELL BREATH!" The monster's attack was fired in one instant, acidic breath streaming through the air to strike at where the Panther Warrior 'hid'. One good thing about tablets Katsuya thought with a wince, the dead silence in the air just as ominous as screams. He didn't see burning flesh or raging flames... Just a tablet grinding to dust as the acid burned holes through its structure. "HeheheheHAHAHAAA!" Please shut up already. "The Panther Warrior dies!" Haga laughed, Katsuya grinding his teeth as the dust flew into his eyes. Rotten little prick...

He was going to leave Parasite on the field even when it was his only defense he bet! "And look at this," the boy continued with a grin, the two duelists both watching as the Insect Queen lowered her abdomen to the ground. Another squelch came through the air, round egg tumbling to the ground as the sounds of hatching already filled the air. "The Queen's laid another egg! Come on out," he 'sang', the slime covered shell slowly cracking open as a new 'Insect Larva' came to the field. "You're just in time for the show!" Damn it damn it damn it...

There was no way Haga was just going to avoid hitting Parasite next turn with the Queen as powered up as it was! The tiny insect shook itself as its mother gave a slight shudder, nuzzling its child before turning to face her opponent. " _I've got you nnnnnnowwwwwww_ ," it hissed, " _Little 'imagoooo'..._ "

Katsuya swallowed as the monster growled under its breath, teeth grinding as the enormous queen lowered down past the barrier of dust to look him in the eye. Compact eyes staring at his. Rows of yellowed, razor sharp teeth bared in front of him. Noxious breath, making it ten times more difficult to hold back his lunch. His future...

His future...

The blond narrowed his eyes, snapping himself out of his frozen shock. He couldn't let this hideous monster cut it short! ' _Don't give up_ ,' they were shouting from the side right now, voices faded as the Insect Queen pulled back somewhat to allow her 'opponent' room to move. ' _Don't give in..!_ ' He wouldn't!

The blond reached for his deck, shutting his eyes and looking at the card before staring with narrowed eyes. Ahah!

This card! "Pondering your forgone fate?" Haga said with a grin, chuckling as the Insect Queen glowered above him. His opponent said nothing in response, merely watching as the boy continued to sneer. "All your monsters are mere pawns in the great Queen's army," he said darkly, gesturing to the field. "And with the barrier in place you can't even hope to put up a resistance! You know you can't win!" the cried, eyes narrowed as he stared his opponent down. "But do you admit it?"

"...No." The blond stared across the field in apathy, placing a card from his hand on the disk and continuing his gaze as a blank tablet appeared at his side. "I don't."

Haga tensed, sneering grin falling as he stared across the field. "W...What..." Exactly. Katsuya nodded to himself, glancing to the tablet at his side before looking back at his hand. He hadn't had a use for that one earlier... But now? "First I'll set a card face down," he announced in regards to the card he'd set, before taking the card he'd drawn and putting it in place as well. "An' now," he continued, watching as a third tablet came to the field from beneath the ground, "Th' weakness in yer insect combo! I summon Gearfried, th' Iron Knight!"

Almost blocky carvings appeared on the tablet's form with those words, each line and detail taking an eerie glow as smoke filled its form. With a blinding light the iron soldier slowly stepped forward out of the stone, the sunlight gleaming off his armor as he drew his blade. " _..._ " Katsuya blinked as his monster turned back, Gearfried staring at his summoner for a moment before tilting his head. " _...What the hell happened to your hand..?_ " Gh!

The blond's grin froze somewhat in response to the question, both he and the monster turning their attentions to their opponent. "You... You fool!" Haga shouted with an almost incredulous laugh, Gearfried in question narrowing his eyes. "That monster is just food for the worms of Parasite Paracide!" he shouted almost manically, "It can't possibly..! It..." The boy paled as his words fell short, Katsuya merely grinning as the Parasite's tentacles launched from its stone tablet and bounced off the target's armor. Again and again they slapped at the iron armor, appearing to turn to each other in confusion before continuing on. "No," Haga muttered, the Parasite continuing to have no luck on the field. "NO!"

Gearfried looked at the Parasite's tentacles, turning back to his summoner with a questioning stare. " _...Is... This thing stopping any time soon..?_ " Ehhh... The blond gave a slight shrug, shaking his head. Probably not. But hey, not like this duel would last much longer right?

"Hehehehe! Surprisin' ain't it?" Katsuya said with a grin, Gearfried crossing his arms to roll his eyes as the tentacles continued ramming themselves against his arm. "Gearfried's an IRON Knight!" he explained, watching as his opponent continued to pale. "Coated completely in metal, leaving no points f'r th' Parasite t' strike... Which means th' Parasite can't infect him... Which means Gearfried's still a warrior, which means he can break through yer so-called barrier!" he shouted with a snarl, pointing the knight forward. "Go Gearfried," the blond roared, warrior nodding with narrowed eyes as he held his blade ready. "ATTACK TH' LARVA!"

"Hn!" With a single strike the monster did as commanded, blade cutting cleanly through the insect's body. As a bug, there was little to be said about what was left behind. A bit of strange, brown coloured fluid, a screeching Insect Queen, and a pile of dust. And that was all that resulted, a welcome change in comparison to the usual blood and gore he was stuck seeing each time he dueled.

Gearfried calmly returned to his position on the field, briefly looking over his summoner's hand with a blank stare. _"...So do you plan on telling me what that i-_ "

"Don' ask," he muttered under his breath, looking back over the field as his monster shrugged. Besides the topic being one of the many, many things he wanted to avoid, talking to 'himself' was not the best thing to do in front of friends.

And Haga.

To put it lightly. "A-Aaaaggh... You... You..." Speaking of Haga!

The blond smirked, crossing his arms and ignoring the strangeness of his right hand as his opponent grew paler and paler. "Heh! How's that f'r size?" he said with a grin, narrowing his eyes as he stared across the field. Those eggs might have been a right pain in the ass, but it was over now. They couldn't defend, they were born in attack mode... And since they only had 1200 points, he could wear Haga down easily! Of course...

That left this thing. " _FIEEEND,_ " the Insect Queen was screeching, rearing on her legs as her opponents continued to stare in silence. " _SCUMM! LET ME TEAR YOU TO PIECESSSSSS_ " It was hard not to shudder at that.

Hi- _Hihhhhhh...!_ God damn it, why could this monster speak! "Jonouchi-!" The blond swallowed, turning to look at Haga as the boy shook. "Are you prepared to pay the price for angering the Queen?" Haga raged, Katsuya holding back a quick 'no' as he glanced at the monster in question. "I'm going to show you the insect deck's most powerful move," he spat, grabbing a card from his hand to set it on the disk. "The 'Queen Impact' strategy! Watch! The Soldier Ari enters attack mode," he announced, a second tablet appearing to the side before 'merging' into the Ant's before its depicted monster could escape the stone. "In addition," he shouted angrily, "I activate the card Multiplication of Ants!" Multipli-

From the carving of a single ant the tablet grew, glowing and smoking viciously as dog sized insects climbed out from the stone. One after one the insects swarmed the field from the ant-carving, lining up in a single line in front of their queen. One... Two... Five... TEN... "Hehehahahah... Ten Army Ants," Haga anounced as his 'army' stood at 'attention', "Multiplied by 400 points... You know what that means," he said with a grin, Katsuya's eyes widening as he watched the queen grow to an impossible size before him. "It means that the Queen is now UNDEFEATABLE! With six thousand six hundred attack points!" Six thous-

Wasn't that just a little overkill!

"KILL HIM MY QUEEN," Haga roared insanely, the monster dropping its jaw in response "QUEEN'S HELL-"

"Hehehehehe..." Haga froze as his opponent began to chuckle, the blond waving his hand over the field. "Like y' say," Katsuya said with a grin, narrowing his eyes as the blank trap tablet carved and revealed his image. "'Yer no better than a worm'... TRAP ACTIVATE!" he shouted, his blank tablet 'opening' to allow a cloaked and hooded 'boy' through to the field. "Grave Robber!"

Haga paled from across the blond, Katsuya merely continuing to smirk as the robber charged forward to dig up Haga's old 'spell' tablet. It was difficult to see the hooded boy at work this time thanks to the fog. But in a few moments the thief made his way back with a tablet in both hands, the inscriptions carved on its surface already filling with smoke.

"You know what this guy does!" Katsuya said with a shout. "An' th' card he's takin' this time," he continued with a dark grin, "Is one that you outta be familiar with..." As those words were said the tablet was dropped to the ground, spray-can cutting itself out from stone as the Graverobber grabbed it in his hands. "I jus' can't stand bugs," he muttered, his 'trap' aiming the can with a wide and wicked grin. "So TAKE THIS!"

A cloud of gas blasted from the can, shooting upward in a geyser-like act as its target reacted immediately. " _GRHHAAAAAAAAA! NNNOOOOO! NO!_ " The spray filled Haga's side of the field, burning through the Queen's exoskeleton to let organs fall to the ground in a splattering wave. 'Blood' was pooling on the ground as the monster collapsed, legs clattering to pieces before disintegrating entirely.

And still she cried.

" _WHYYYYYY,_ " the monster cried, turning its face toward her killer with wide and fading eyes. " _HOW COULD YOU... HOW COULD YOU..!_ " Smoke filled the air... Thanks to the Insect Barrier's dust the final death throes couldn't be seen, leaving nothing but a hazy figure behind clouds of smoke.

But they could be heard, along with Haga's cries. "N-NO! MY INSECT QUEEN!" The boy wailed a his monster screeched, face twisted in shock. "H-HAA _AAAHHH_!" Oh whatever...

"Th' game's over y' freak!" He shook his head, cracking the 'knuckles' on his right hand before pointing forward with narrowed eyes. Haga's 'ants' relied on that spell. Now that they and the rest of the monsters were gone... "It's my turn! Get 'm, Gearfried!" The monster charged forward, blade appearing to sink right through the boy's body as remaining dust and smoke cleared the field in his wake.

"Ahhhh... Gaaaaaaaaagh..." Gearfried turned away from the boy as he began to fade from the field, shaking his head at his opponent's mutterings. "No!" The dust cleared from the field almost instantly as Haga's points fell, the sun appearing somewhat brighter despite the time that had passed. Monsters remaining on the field vanished into a mist as the sky cleared up, tablets following soon afterwards. As for his arm...

It was back to normal before Haga fell to his knees, tears rolling down the boy's cheeks.

"H-He did it!" Anzu was shouting, eyes wide as Katsuya looked over his hand. "He won!"

"Jonouchi-kun!" Bakura called out with a grin, oblivious to the 'real' reason for his friend's grin. "Congratulations!"

His hand... Hehehehe... Hand was back to normal, hand was back to normal, _hand was back to normal.._!

Katsuya's grin was barely contained as he stared at his hand, shaking himself off as he looked to where his opponent was sitting. The duel was over... Time to get his locator card then.

The blond walked over to Haga, watching as the boy was again surrounded by the ghostly figures of countless bugs, each one hovering beside their 'owner' in evident worry. So many spirits... But why were they swarming a rat like Haga? "H-How... How," the boy was crying, backing away from Katsuya as he approached. "You... You're a mere amateur," he shouted angrily, "You're nothing! My win should have been guaranteed..!" Oh please...

"An' that's why y' needed this?" he 'asked', holding the 'Parasite' card in his restored hand with a glare. He tossed it back to the boy, shaking his head as the 'parasite' in question gave him a narrowed glare. "Let me tell y' somethin' Haga. I ain't strong... You're jus' weak! You might've been th' champion 'f Japan at one point," he continued with a growl, "But y' sure ain't now! You love those bugs so much," the blond muttered, narrowing his eyes as Haga stared up with a scowl. "Then prove it! Y' idiot!"

"G-Gh..." A buzzing noise came through the air, Haga looking to his pockets as a phone rang through the air. Phone? The boy glanced at it only for a moment before wrenching the agreed ante from his duel disk, gathering his remaining cards and holding the phone tightly. "...Gh! T-Take the cards!" he snarled through still teary eyes, Katsuya easily catching the Insect Queen and Locator Card as its former owner growled. "I... ...This means nothing!" he shouted angrily, stumbling to his feet as he ran off. "Nothing!" Er...

Katsuya blinked, holding the cards in his hand as he watched the boy run off. ...Alright? The blond looked back at the Insect Queen card, wincing as a miniature spirit of the monster glared at him from its cover. " _Rssssssssh... Hsssssssshhh..._ " Oooooh man...

This thing wasn't about to forgive him was it...

"Jonouchi!" Katsuya turned, blinking as Anzu and Bakura both ran over from the side, grins on their faces. "Good job!"

"That was incredible... I'd thought you were bluffing," Bakura said with a laugh, rubbing his head as the blond tensed. "I can't believe you pulled that off..."

"Gh-Gh..." Katsuya went red, shaking himself. "Bluffin'!"

"Well you have to admit," Anzu muttered with a shrug, smiling somewhat wryly, "Haga _was_ champion until Yugi won the Duelist Kingdom Tournament..."

Bakura nodded, crossing his arms. "That's right... And while it's hardly fair," he added with a frown, "He did have the advantage in terms of strategy..." That...

That... "Gh... Why I outta-!"

"E _-Eto._.. E-Excuse me..."

The three turned, Katsuya blinking as a young black-haired girl stepped forward from the street corner. Despite the weather she had a rather thin, almost net-like poncho around her shoulders in addition to a long sleeved shirt, gold-rimmed glasses hidden from the sun by her bowed head. Probably in Middle School. But...

The girl continued to stare at the ground, apparently reduced to a shaking leaf in front of the three teens. "I... I was wondering... Did a boy pass here?" she asked, gripping a box tightly in her hands as she looked up through her bangs. "H- He has a bowl cut... And glasses, similar to mine... ...He should be wearing a scarab jacket as well, um..." Bowl cut? And...

G-Glasses..? Katsuya stared, Anzu and Bakura as well blinking as they looked back to where the boy had fled. ... _Scarab_ jacket?! "Y-You mean... Haga?"

"A-Ah..." There was a short blink, the girl looking up for a moment in slight surprise. "Y-Yes, that's my name..." She quickly bowed, face flushing as she introduced herself. "H-Haga, Sen... Pleased to meet you!" H... Haga had a sister!

...Who looked nothing like him!

"A-Ah... D-Does this mean that you know Katsugi?" the girl continued, swallowing nervously. "Did you see him at some point?" Again they were rendered silent, blinking a few times in shock. Katsugi?

Whose bright idea was it to give Haga that name? The blond remained silent as he stared at the girl, both he and Bakura sharing odd looks as Anzu nodded slowly. "Y-Yes..." The woman nodded, swallowing as she gave Sen an odd look. "Yes, we did... ...You're his sister?" she asked, blinking a few times. 'Sen' nodded, still flushing as she bowed somewhat. "T-That is correct! T-Twins," she clarified, Katsuya and Bakura's expressions both showing steadily more confusion. "Erm... If you could tell me which way he went," she asked, coughing lightly, "I wanted to give him something before he left..."

Left..? ...Sister?

...TWINS? "Nh-" Katsuya stared, shaking his head. "But y' look nothin' like- OW!" The blond rubbed his head, looking over at Anzu with a scowl. "What th' hell Anzu!"

"Just because they're twins doesn't mean they'll be identical," she growled under her breath, Sen merely watching in nervous confusion. "Fraternal twins have different DNA!"

"S-She has a point," Bakura added nervously, before the girl in front of them again coughed.

"Erm... _E-Eto_..." The three turned back, Bakura pointing off to the side as Sen blinked.

"Erm... He went that way a few moments ago," he stated, the girl following his gesture. 'Sen' sighed, nodding as she gave the three a polite bow before leaving. "T-Thank you very much!"

She scurried off at a run, box still firmly gripped in her hands as the three stood there in silence. "...Man..."

"She... She acts nothing like him," Bakura said after a few moments, shaking his head. The three nodded, staring at the disappearing girl somewhat blankly. Incredible...

"...So..." The others turned as Katsuya blinked, smirking. "Anyone else find Haga's name ironic?"

He should have expected the smack on the head he got that time.

* * *

Walking around the city to clear scum off the streets was never a 'fun' job regardless of what kind of 'dressing up' it went through to hide the fact. Completely curb-stomping the morons who even dared to break the rules was at least somewhat amusing with Obelisk in hand of course, but the fact still remained- if not for the fact that she was still looking for those God Cards she would most certainly not have bothered, and as it was most people weren't stupid enough to refuse Mokuba's requests. There was only one person she would consider a challenge though...

And she could probably have asked Jonouchi or Mokuba to call him in if she wanted the fight right away. (Though he'd probably refuse...)

Nonetheless with the God Cards in mind she was currently holding Mokuba's slate, patching into the 'Search Room' in the company building with evident impatience. True having five people searching nonstop for cards through the disk satellite system was expensive... But the fact was even without the cards, she could afford it. Hell she'd put enough into the tournament as it was, but given that the duel disks were already covering the prices and then some...

_-fwp_ -

The slate flashed, Seto blinking as she was met with a few of the 'search room'. Aha, she was in.

"A-Ah!" One of the employees turned, jumping as he looked directly at the screen in panic. "K-Kaiba-sama..!" That tone...

That tone meant no luck had been made... The woman mentally groaned, settling for an apathetic glare as one of the employees at the desk turned to speak to her. "Haven't you found it yet?" she asked plainly, the man on the other end of the phone line merely swallowing under the imposing glare. Obviously not of course, but she might as well have asked... "One of the Rare Hunters in Domino must have the God Cards," she growled, eyes narrowing somewhat as she leaned back against the wall. "They'll be the only two cards without a solid signal from the duel disks," the woman continued angrily, "So where. Is it?"

The man on the other end of the line coughed, paling somewhat as he bowed his head a moment. "We... We're sorry sir," he said with a swallow, shaking his head in shame. "But the duelists have spread over Domino," he stated with an almost begging tone, "And not all those with a disk are even participating in the tournament at the moment. The search will take time," he continued, shaking his head as his boss stared with narrowed eyes. "You must believe us!" Hnnn...

Seto narrowed her eyes briefly, looking over the room on the other end. She couldn't deny that the search system had a manual aspect that took time. That was the reason why there were people working in the building in the first place after all. But the ghouls were obviously somewhere in this city... And she didn't doubt that they would eventually realize that she had Obelisk.

...And like hell she was letting them get the first move! "Tch..." She'd go after them first then... Hunt them down herself! "Contact me as soon as you find those God Cards understand?" she growled, watching as the man nodded and bowed in response.

"Yes sir!"

_-fwp-_

The slate returned to it's standard screen as the connection was cut, Seto handing it back to her brother as the boy frowned. "Still haven't caught the rats then?" he asked, tapping a few things on the screen before putting it in his bag.

"Hnp!" No. No she hadn't. The woman snorted, grabbing her briefcase from the side as the two began moving again. "With those men working from the building and the technology we have, it's only a matter of time... Thanks to former resources," she muttered under her breath, "The communications satellite is just as powerful as the US Military's ground surveillance systems..." Possibly the only 'good' thing about building a game company from a warfare manufacturer...

Though as small a thing it was, it still had the two smirking given the sheer expansiveness of the trap they'd effectively made. "Hehehe... I bet they'll never even think that we've laid an entire 'net' over the sky for them," he said with a grin, laughing. "Those cards are good as yours!" Of course they were!

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Of course," she said in response, responding to both statements as she moved. "After all, this entire tournament is a trap set just for them..." And as long as Mokuba was right here where those ghouls couldn't find him, there was nothing to worry about...

Her smirk fell somewhat at that thought, eyes narrowing. Hnm... Ghouls. She was getting those cards from them if she had to rip them out of their cold dead hands!

"Let's go," she said curtly, brother nodding as they walked down the street. It never occurred to them that the silent, motionless 'mime' on the bench to the side could be a duelist after all.

And it never even registered that the duelist could possibly have one of those very God Cards in his possession. Moreover it was never considered that at that moment, the third of the 'Gods' was only just arriving rather than wandering the city as expected...

And despite the ban against motorized vehicles for the day by the time 2:30 had rolled around the roar of a single engine could be heard clearly in the air. And if anyone was paying attention to the bike that the roaring was from, they would have noticed two things.

For one the rider was more than an oddity, with weathered and dark skin that spoke of heritage from a completely different land, and pale hair that proved the young man as an even larger oddity. But more importantly...

There was a duel disk strapped to the side, along with a golden scepter of sorts. And the teen, with a smirk clearly on his face, seemed to talk to himself as he drove.

"Now," he whispered clearly, those who could hear unable to understand the language he spoke, "Move!"

And a full hour after Seto Kaiba had passed the silent 'mime', the one known only as 'The Doll' took off into a run...

The only movement he had made in a full forty-eight hours.


	12. Arrival of a God

While Jonouchi was busy facing his own horrors in the form of drastically over-the-edge visions of duel monster fights, Yugi was still barely getting over his own. True, unlike his friend's last two duels his latest match hadn't been filled with the blood and gore of his monsters. Nor had he spent the last half-hour or so staring at his right arm with barely hidden horror and disgust as those around him pondered his sanity.

But barely saving a clearly insane opponent from losing both of his legs to a giant saw blade only to be told, through some disembodied voice speaking through that opponent, that the man would commit suicide once he woke up was just a little disconcerting. Along with the situation that led to that incident in the first place, with the store-front 'Ghoul hideaway', the basement of pile upon pile of stage magic equipment...

The leg-braces with automatic locks and life-point controlled buzz-saws...

Now that was just sick...

So really beside the fact that Malik had also decided to share another fact with himself and his 'other', it was not the best start to the after noon. Though he had to admit the amount of information that Malik had 'seen fit' to give him though a warped and accented version of 'Pandora's voice was...

A lot to tell the truth. More than enough to have him silent as he attempted to wrap his head around it while wiping the blood from Pandora's bleeding legs from his hands. Tomb guardian...

That was what Malik claimed to be, from what he could tell. Guardians of the 'Nameless Pharaoh'. He'd heard something similar from his other self when he thought back, in a story from long before he was aware of the spirit. When he was telling him about 'Shaadi'...

The man from Egypt who carried both the scales and the 'key'. But while Shaadi had long since vanished back to wherever he came from, Malik's threat was constant and present, and not something to take lightly. Particularly since unlike Shaadi, his own reasons were not to 'protect' or test the Pharaoh. No...

Malik had been fairly clear about what he wanted to do to his 'other self'.

But while Malik's words had carried with them the threat of death they'd also told him another thing, one incredibly important thing that had his mouth clamped shut for the moment as he left Pandora's store.

The reason why his other self had entered this tournament.

The reason why he'd even considered entering the tournament. Memories...

Gathering the cards and the Millennium Items, thereby unlocking the 'Pharaoh's memories. That was who he was, wasn't he? The 'other him'. And to find out just what kind of person he was, he would need those cards, wouldn't he?

...According to Malik two of them were in this city now Yugi thought, walking down the street in silence. One, 'Obelisk', was in Kaiba's hands... Something that had likely happened soon after Jonouchi's 'bodyguard night' when he thought about it. And as for the other, it was in the hands of the one Malik called the 'Silent Doll'. The man with 'Osiris'...

But just what did he mean by 'Doll' he wondered, swallowing nervously as he moved to take a more 'lonely' route along a small canal. Why had Malik specifically said 'Beware of the Silent Doll'? "I don't understand," he found himself muttering with narrowed eyes. "I just don't...”

" _Then we'll just have to wait_ ," his other said with a frown, hovering beside him with crossed arms. The boy turned, blinking as his partner stared off at the side. " _If our enemies plan to hide_ ," the spirit stated calmly, " _Then we'll have to wait for them to come to us; it's much quicker than searching the entire city,_ " he added, staring into the canal at the side as he said this. What!

Yugi paled, shaking his head. But he couldn't- He couldn't..! "N-No!" The spirit turned, watching as his 'lighter' half frowned and continued. "I can't just wait for them to attack us! The Ghouls want to kill you!" he shouted, ignoring the odd looks a few passersby were giving him as he spoke to what was to them 'thin air'. "For all we know, they're plotting something right now!" Yugi swallowed as his other half merely continued to stare, sighing as he bowed his head. "Other me... I know what you're trying to find here in this tournament," the boy stated calmly, scowl lightening as he looked up and beyond the bridge above them. "And I can't just stand by and watch them ruin that. Your memories... They're worth so much," he continued, "And I knew, from the start that there had to be something else you were fighting for in this tournament! Something more than rare cards, or maybe a chance to fight Kaiba-san-"

The spirit flushed, coughing somewhat as he looked back at the boy incredulously. " _N- Why would that be a reason!_ " ...Why was the reason such a big deal?

Yugi gave his partner a somewhat flat stare, frowning as he ignored the flustering to give him a straight answer. "...If it weren't for the fact that I know better Other Me, I could interpret all of your conversations with Kaiba-san as an attempt to flirt..."

That particular line got an even stranger reaction, his other self continuing to cough and run into an uncharacteristically flustered state. " _Bu- But that's not!_ " Well with the way he was reacting!

The boy shook his head, unable to keep a smile off his face. "I know," he said with a short laugh, "I'm just saying, it's obvious that you enjoy dueling her... But as much as I know that," Yugi continued seriously, stopping to stand by the canal beneath the bridge, "These memories are more important right? For that reason, I want to help you," he insisted, his other self staring at the boy oddly as he continued. "We'll fight together... After all," Yugi said with an honest smile, "Getting your memories back is my job too, right?"

Again the spirit stared, mouth hanging slightly open before he spoke. " _Y... Your 'job'?_ " he asked, shaking his head as the path around them began to grow silent.

Yugi nodded, a somewhat sad smile on his face as he held his puzzle close. "It took me years to complete this puzzle," he said quietly, closing his eyes as he remembered those times. Eight years of constant attempts to piece one part to another, only for it to end up in just as many pieces as he'd started really... "And eventually, after I did, I finally met you. And even before then," the boy continued, referring to the bit of time from before Kaiba's 'Death-T' event, "You were there... You gave me courage when I was weak, and you helped me to find friends... Just like in my wish," he added with a smile, turning to his other-self. "'A true friend'... Someone who won't let me down, someone who I won't let down... And now," he continued, smile widening as he looked back at the canal for a moment, "I have lots of friends... Jonouchi, Anzu... Honda, Otogi, Bakura, Kaiba-san and Mokuba... And you," he added, the smile widening even more as it was mirrored by his other's usual smirk.

" _Heh..._ " The spirit appeared to cross his legs from where he stood in mid-air, shaking his head. " _You made that wish come true on your own_ ," he said with a smile, turning to Yugi as his 'lighter' half again looked back at the canal. " _I can't take the credit for that..._ "

"Maybe not," the boy said quietly, looking back at his puzzle with a slight shrug, "But I still think you did..." There was silence in response, his other-self merely turning away in silence. A 'pharaoh'... "...There's a part of me that wants it to always be like this," he continued, rubbing the puzzle in his hands. "You and me, inside my heart and soul, like we are now... But maybe that's because I'm too dependent on you... Maybe," Yugi muttered, almost guiltily, " Maybe I've been trapping you here, with me... Using your strength to protect me and my friends..." He fell quiet for a moment, the gaze of his other self burning the back of his neck somewhat before he turned back with a swallow. "But you know... I can't do that forever," the boy stated seriously, giving a single nod. "So now it's my turn to do something for you... My turn to grant you a wish," he continued, gripping the chain of his puzzle tightly. "I'll help you get back your memories, Other Me... No matter what!"

" _Y... You..._ " The 'other' Yugi stared, before shaking his head with a smirk. " _I see..._ " He nodded, the smirk shifting to a more calm smile. " _...Thank you, Aibou._ "

"Heh..." He nodded, letting go of the puzzle as he started walking down the side of the canal with his partner again. "No problem..."

The two shared calm smiles for a moment, before freezing in place as a sudden chill ran down their spine. Even the warm summer heat seemed to drain from the area as they stopped, their expressions falling as the chill increased.

"...This feeling..." Yugi turned as the sound of footsteps came from behind them, watching as a young man skidded down the side of the canal wall at breakneck speed before charging toward them. "S-Someone's coming!"

The other Yugi as well turned, eyes widening as the man continued to run. " _But who..._ " The man before them skidded to a stop, eyes wide and unblinking as his bones cracked with each movement. Skeleton-thin he stood, pants hanging off his shoulders by loose suspenders and straps that were about as tight as the oversized jeans he wore. A duel disk with a loaded deck sat just as loosely upon his wrist, already primed for battle as he held it forward with a 'clack'. As he did so however not a word was spoken, not a sound made as he breathed at an even and almost mechanized pace. The bald man merely stared, body clearly suffering from a fatigue that was being easily ignored.

"...Who are you," Yugi whispered, swallowing as he stepped back from the imposing looking figure. "Who-"

" _Aibou_ ," his other self muttered stiffly, eyes wide as he looked at the man across from him. The spirit shook somewhat, growing tense as he stared forward with unblinking eyes. " _Look..!_ " Both boys swallowed as they stared at the man's forehead, watching as the light clearly illuminated bulging, 'eye-shaped' veins between where eyebrows had once been. From a distance it had been difficult to see...

But looking now, the shape of the 'Eye of Udjat' was impossible to miss. This person...

This was... "R... Rare Hunter," Yugi whispered, face growing pale as he stared at the near ghost-like figure.

Without warning the man tilted his head, cracking it back into place as his mouth opened to speak in a frightening lack of emotion or relaxation. "That's right 'Vessel'," the familiar patterns Malik used stated, voice again formed by the host's throat rather than his own. Vessel. That was what Malik had been calling him since their last 'meeting'... A 'vessel' for the spirit in the puzzle. "This is my Doll," Malik said with a likely unseen grin, "My Silent Doll... You remember my warning don't you?" he asked, 'opponent' swallowing as the 'doll' in question held his duel disk forward. "I told you to watch out... To 'beware'," he continued with an almost 'Hannibal' like tone, "Because this is the one whose power mimics mine. I might not be in this city," Malik continued through the doll, the expression sitting in the same wide-eyed 'blank slate' that it was since they first spotted it, "But that doesn't mean I won't fight you... After all," Malik 'asked' smoothly, "What more worthy an opponent for the thousands years old spirit of the Puzzle than the God Osiris, Lord of the Dead?"

G...Gh...

The boy drew back somewhat with those words, swallowing under the nonexistent stare that he was receiving from the 'voice'. "But you know," Malik said with a 'sigh', "This fight is a bit of an important matter for me," he drawled, emotions blocked by the stoniness of the host he used to speak. "So if the 'Vessel' could please stand down for now..." Stand d-

What! Yugi looked to the side at his other self, watching as the spirit narrowed his eyes in anger. " _...This is fate_ ," he muttered stiffly, arms crossed as he moved to take control of the body for the moment. " _I can't avoid this one..._ " ...No... He supposed not.

But even so... "Be careful," he warned, swallowing as his partner continued to stare at their opponent. "If he has a God card, this won't be easy!"

The spirit merely nodded, before seemingly merging with his lighter half's body in a flash. And with a sudden blast of 'wind' and vertigo on the part of both there was a switch, the body grabbing their duel disk and setting it into position with narrowed eyes as the jacket was pulled off their arms. "Don't worry," the 'other' Yugi muttered, again in control of the body as he gripped the jacket in his hand. "I will defeat God if need be..."

" _...Alright then_ ," the lighter, now 'ghostly' form Yugi muttered from the side, fading into the puzzle to allow his partner privacy. His voice faded to little more than a whisper as he took his place within the puzzle, worry evident even without the visual expression cue. " _Good luck..._ " The jacket was tossed to the side of the canal walkway as 'Yugi' stared across the field, listening as Malik's elated chuckling filled the air.

"At last, at last you come out..!" Tch... 'at last'? The only reason he wasn't 'there' last time was because his 'lighter half' had wanted to spare Pandora from the death that he quite deserved...

...Not that it did Pandora any good he thought bitterly, glaring at the 'source' of the reasoning. "I've waited years for this," Malik was continuing with a laugh, his doll showing no change in emotion otherwise. "Many, many years..."

Yugi merely stared at the 'doll', scoffing as the pale, skeleton-thin man stood motionless. Many years? It looked as though this 'doll' had been doing the same quite frankly. "Hn!" The teen shook his head, staring at his 'opponent' in distaste. "Your 'doll' has seen better days 'Malik'... Not the most dignified bearer for a God card," he continued, crossing his arms as the wind blew past the 'duelists'.

There was the sound of a sigh on the air, the owner of the voice likely shaking his head. "No... I suppose not," Malik drawled, tone clearly showing how little he cared about the matter. "But he's certainly useful..." Useful, Yugi thought with a frown, narrowing his eyes as his 'opponent' went on. "This 'doll' was a serial killer in his country," he explained darkly, "A young man who slaughtered his parents and siblings in a single night without warning, captured on scene with literally blood soaked arms," Malik stated with an unseen smirk, his opponent staring with narrowed eyes as a slight prickling feeling of unease developed. "Out of the guilt and madness this drove him into," he continued 'plainly, "He locked his very consciousness from his body, forcing himself into a comatose state. Not a shred of emotion or feeling remains in this 'man'... If you could call such an empty vessel a 'man'," he added with a laugh, the voice greatly contrasting the emotionless face his opponent was staring at. "But for myself, the master of the mind, there is no better weapon..."

So then besides brainwashing other people...

"After all, it isn't as though he can argue any more..." Besides admittedly forcing people into his own bidding...

He had effectively denied this man the peace of death, the sole escape that he likely had after actions that so clearly rendered him insane. Yugi's lips curled back in distaste, gritting his teeth as he glared at the 'doll' ahead of him. Even from a distance he could see scars on the man's body. Markings from a self-induced madness that had slowly degenerated into complete vegetation... "So brainwashing isn't the only thing you do then," he spat, narrowing his eyes as he stared across the field. "You sicken me Malik..." And there were no other words for it.

More chuckling filled the air with that statement however, the 'doll' shaking with each breath as his mouth moved with an almost audible clack. "Hnhnhnhnhnh... Oh do I now?" he 'asked' with a likely smirk, opponent's scowl deepening even more in response. "The human mind is so much more fragile than the body don't you know? You've toyed with it yourself," the voice continued in evident humor, "With interesting results I might add..." Gh-

Yugi's jaw clenched at the accurate accusation, visions of the various 'penalties' he'd inflicted coming to mind. From hallucinatory horrors to soul-imprisoning acts of power... But they had all been within reason he told himself, all of them...

This... This was different, this had no purpose, this-

"People, all people," Malik stated calmly, "Are influenced by what they see. Whether they read it, experience it... From those actions, people can do many things, with incredible results... They can create entire personalities, separate each other from their very selves... Or they'll come to believe that they hear God," he continued on with a cold chuckle, "Acting on what are merely hints and suggestions that were planted prior..." So the mind was 'strange'. He knew this. There were reasons after all, for Mokuba's initial questioning on his 'presence', the questions of the others as to his origin...

Anzu had assumed, for the most part that he was simply a fragment of Yugi, the 'light' one... Mokuba as well had wondered if not briefly, whether or not they were technically 'the same'. And of course, in the end, both were wrong. Everyone was wrong really...

But just what purpose did those topics have now? "The imagination," his 'opponent' muttered, chuckling filling the air. "Hnhnhnhn... It'll devour you from the inside out," he stated with an eerily humoured tone before continuing on. "You see my power is far more than 'brainwashing', far more..."

...More than brainwashing? And just what sort of logic was that...

"With my overwhelming charisma and dominance combining with a person's thoughts, it's easy to show them their image of 'God'," Malik explained, his unseen smirk more likely than not widening into a sneering grin. "And when God speaks," he continued darkly, "It's impossible not to listen... Such is the work of the Millennium Rod. A domination of all thoughts, senses and memories, played with to my bidding..." In other words, still brainwashing, with a glorified definition of complete and total domination the teen thought with a low growl.

"Tch..."

"This 'doll'... This 'killing machine'," Malik said with a rather 'off-hand' tone, likely grinning from wherever he was located, "When I win this duel, believe me... It will kill you... It's simply his 'program', his 'instinct' if you will," the voice explained, quite likely reveling in the steady chill his opponent was now suffering from as a result. "No matter where you run, no matter where you hide," he said with an invisible, cheshire's grin, "This doll will pursue you tirelessly, day and night both... You can run as far as you want," Malik announced 'proudly', the soulless eyes of his doll staring blankly forward, "But he will never stop... Never sleep... Until the blood from your cold dead corpse is on his hands," he finished with a chuckle, a cold breeze swiftly moving through the area as a result. "Khnhnhnhnhnhnh..."

Yugi swallowed as the laughter floated through the air in a faded tone, narrowing his eyes as he thought over the words. Life or death was it? ...Well...

If that was the case... "You might be able to catch me," he said darkly, a threatening smirk coming on his face as the wind around them increased in ferocity, "But do you honestly think that you can beat me?" he asked, the smirk widening into a dark and menacing grin.

Silence hovered through the air, before laughter came from the doll once more in contrast to its expression. "Khahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! But of course I can, Yugi! I'll kill you!" he shouted with a loud and roaring cackle, "And then after taking 'Kaiba Seto's own card I'll do the same to him... And with the three cards in my grasp I will take the title of 'King', freed from your shadow and curse of thousands of years..." Well...

He was certainly bitter about this... Yugi grit his teeth, watching as the deck in the slot of the disk shuffled itself before settling to a stop. So not just him then. Kaiba as well. Well...

While he doubted Kaiba would be unable to dispose of the scum before him with ease, he wasn't about to let it get to that point. "Hn!" He could not lose... He would not lose! He would regain his lost memories and prove 'Malik' wrong! "Then start the duel!" he shouted, narrowing his eyes as both he and his opponent drew their hand of cards. "LET'S GO!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Very well! I draw first," Malik shouted loudly, the doll doing as commanded with stiff moments as it added a card to the hand. Only a brief moment more and the 'doll' was taking another card from the six he held, blank eyes not once moving from their opponent. "Are you ready?" he taunted, setting the card on the field robotically. "I play one card face down... And then," he continued, the face down card in question appearing to the field in a flash of light, "Humanoid Slime!" the voice shouted, "Attack mode!" Attack mode? The teen frowned, watching as the card appeared on the field as the metallic, gooey beast materialized from the light before it."End turn!"

But with a monster as weak as that Yugi thought with narrowed eyes, looking over the stats of the card before him... He narrowed his eyes further, frowning as he drew his next card. Well obviously this was setting up for a trap. Attack the monster get a nasty surprise he thought with a growl, glaring somewhat at the card in question. But if he couldn't attack this turn he could always set a trap for a trap, he thought with a nod, setting the card on the field and watching as the enormous version of the card 'flashed' onto the field.

"I play one card face down," he shouted as the card appeared, before taking a second card and setting it on the disk. "And then, I play Gazelle in attack mode," the teen called out, watching as the great holographic 'lion' appeared to the field with a roar. The monster's card hovered behind the beast, both the monster and its card sitting a foot or so off the ground. Gazelle however did not appear to stand as though in 'mid-air' this time, instead taking a 'seat' as it looked across the field. "My turn is over!" Hnn...

Was it just him he wondered with a frown, or were the 'holograms' a little more realistic than before? Gazelle always had his own personality, but he was never this 'detailed'...

...Whatever, he told himself. Likely nothing. "Hnnn..." The teen stared as his opponent took his own turn, still staring blankly across the field and hiding whatever emotions the 'controller' held. "No attack?" Malik questioned, his opponent merely narrowing his eyes in response. "You're awfully cautious... Or should I even say 'cowardly'," he added, Yugi merely holding his glare as the voice chuckled darkly. Bastard... "Hnhnhnhnhn... You won't be able to beat me like that," the voice 'observed', his opponent continuing to grit his teeth as Malik muttered on, "But at least you won't die before seeing the glory that is Osiris with your own eyes... Perhaps you can offer him a prayer of safe journeys in the afterlife," he added, Yugi merely continuing to respond with a silent glare in regards to the veiled threat. "Now," Malik continued with a cackle, his doll drawing a card before taking another from his hand in an unseen sleight-of-hand. "I summon Worm Drake!" The holographic card appeared to the field instantly, long and almost reptilian 'worm' appearing in front of it. "And in addition to that," the voice shouted, the holographic 'worm' writhing in its spot as its doll set another card, "Polymerization! Fusing them both into the Humanoid Drake," he announced loudly, the cards on the field vanishing as Polymerization's spiral swam from the newly arrived card, light coating the Worm Drake into a metalloid serpent with wings and arms both. There it was...

The material cards vanished in an instant to make way for the combined form's own holographic portrait, the monster shimmering to an almost blinding extent in the light. 2200 attack points...

Obviously more than his 'Gazelle'. But he needn't worry just yet, Yugi reminded himself with a swallow, it couldn't attack-

"Do you recall my face down card?" Malik asked idly, his opponent staring past the glowing, holographic monster to the card on the field. Yes... That was the card... "The one that you likely thought was a trap? It wasn't." It wasn'-

Damn.

"Flip the card!" he shouted, the card in question swinging upwards at the Doll's swift movement as its image became clear. "Quick Attack!" The card vanished from the field as its name was shouted, Yugi narrowing his eyes. Tch... Allow one fusion monster to attack on the same turn it's summoned. And if that was the case... "Hnhnhnhn... Unlike you, I don't fear my opponent's cards," Malik drawled, his host holding its same emotionless vigil as he spoke. "I'm not the type of duelist who plays it safe, never attacking unless he's sure of the upper hand... Unlike you!" he shouted with a cackle, "Who's so cowardly they're afraid of a single face down card!" Gh... Then the trap itself was... "Slime Drake!" Malik ordered, the beaked serpent charging toward his monster, "Attack!" Then...

Hnhnhnhnhn...

He'd fallen for his own trap exactly as intended. "Heh... You think so?" he shouted, tapping the corresponding 'spell/trap' button to activate the card. "Malik... I knew from the moment you played 'Humanoid Slime' that you would use it to make a fusion monster! After all... You'd be able to gain a powerful monster without wasting a turn, and all in all," he continued, smirking as the card he'd activated swung upward on the field, "What better material monster than the slime?"

"You..." The voice sputtered somewhat, as though choking on his words. "You knew I would polymerize-"

"Of course," he said with a grin, ignoring the sudden silence his opponent took. "And now... 'DeFusion'!" the teen shouted, watching as the card 'shocked' the monster back into its materials before vanishing from the field. The two material 'cards' again appeared on the field, taking the place of their original summon before the source of the spell vanished in a flash. "And since you're still attacking," he muttered, pointing his monster forward as the beast stood with a nod. "Gazelle!" Yugi ordered, the monster growling as the material monsters hovered on the field, "Destroy the slime!"

Instantly the beast reacted, slashing through the slime monster as it charged forward. A blast of wind buffeted the mind-controlled doll as his points went down, the worm drake left as the only monster on his side of the field while Malik growled. "Rggg..."

Hnhnhnhnhn... "Well Malik?" he asked, still smirking as it came to his turn. "I'm sure you've already planned your next move... But keep in mind," the teen continued with a grin as he drew his card, "That I've planned the one after it."

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Yugi frowned somewhat as chuckling filled the air, growing steadily louder despite the lack of movement from the doll. ...He... Hadn't expected laughter as a reaction... "Hnhnhahaha... So you predicted that?" Malik stated with a chuckle, likely grinning despite the hit to his lifepoints. "Well... You're making this quite enjoyable Yugi..." Tch... Enjoyable! How was this..!

...Well...

He supposed he himself could have some satisfaction from beating him at least... "Hn! Your moves are too weak to even touch my lifepoints Malik... I doubt this will last much longer," he added calmly, looking over his hand for a brief moment. More laughter filled the air in response to this, distracting him from his move. Yugi narrowed his eyes as the disembodied chuckling echoed on the wind, the source taking a few moments to calm himself before speaking.

"Please," he muttered with an invisible sneer, "I was just testing the waters on that turn... I cast a pebble into the seas to see how big a ripple it would make, to measure your skills as a duelist..." Tch...

"If you cast a pebble into the seas you won't even get a ripple!" he shouted incredulously, only to grit his teeth as Malik cut him off.

"Now now," he drawled 'impatiently', "Let me finish..." Tch... Since he would likely keep interrupting until he did, he might as well... "If a duelist is a vessel, a container," Malik explained shortly, "Then the strategies and abilities of that vessel are the water that fills it... The water takes the shape of the container," he continued, "Filling it, but if there isn't enough you can see right through it to the bottom... And as such, see through the strategies to your own advantage..."

And just what was he trying to say by that?

More chuckling filled the air, Yugi grinding his teeth in aggravation. "The rumors don't lie," Malik said plainly, likely smirking yet again as he 'looked' at his opponent's expression. "You have quite the talent Yugi... A duelist with 'depth'," he continued, the doll's blank eyes far betraying the tone. "But with the stone I have, the stone called 'Osiris', I will crush your vessel. Keep that in mind, Yugi..." Crush him? Tch...

He wouldn't let him! "Gh... Continue the duel!" the teen shouted, looking back at his hand with a short growl. "It's my turn!" Yugi looked at the card he'd drawn moments before, grabbing the one beside it as he ran a few ideas through his head. Buster Blader. The seven-star, warrior monster. He could summon him next turn then he decided, setting the card in his hand on the field.

But for now...

"I summon Beta, the Magnet Warrior!" he shouted, watching as a large version of the card appeared with the hologram of his monster. The monster gave a curt nod as it took a fighting stance, hovering in the air with narrowed, beady eyes. ...Strange... The teen narrowed his eyes briefly, looking at the monster as the strong wind from before continued to pick up. The holograms didn't reflect light before...

And yet Beta's metal armor was gleaming almost blindingly in the sun, much like actual metal. This wasn't happening before...

So why would they now? Again he shook it off, turning his attentions to the duel. ...Whatever. He had no time for this. "Battle phase!" he announced, pointing the monsters forward. With a growl the less powerful of the two charged forward, Beta right behind the beast as it tore through Malik's worm. "Gazelle destroys the Worm Drake," he announced, before Beta continued forward to strike the 'Doll' directly. Again the vicious wind passed his opponent's doll, not a single movement given at the steady drop in life points that he'd suffered. "Turn end!" Yugi shouted, bracing himself against the rapidly increasing pressure of wind. There...

No more monsters left on the field, and an already made strike to Malik's life points directly. He had the upper hand!

...And yet Malik's voice, like the doll, did not appear to care, the doll in question merely drawing a card as his 'controller' spoke. "My turn..." Shit. No change in tone, not even in the slightest... "Yugi," Malik muttered, the teen in question swallowing back a feeling of unease. "I likened strategy to water earlier didn't I," he asked, opponent narrowing his eyes at the analogy. "I think I'll show you that strategy now... After all," the voice announced clearly, "At times, water can become a shapeless shield, protecting against anything... And at others it can become a sword, to pierce the opponent's heart. This monster wields that power," he announced, setting a card on the field as its holographic counterpart rose into place. "I summon the Revival Jam, in defense mode!" Revival Jam...

Another slime monster? Yugi frowned as the largely formless slime appeared above the ground, only to swallow as his opponent continued with his move. "And now that the monster is on the field," Malik stated as he placed a second card, the spell card appearing on the field as he spoke, "It's time to turn on my Jam Breeding Machine!"

W-What! The machine in question arose immediately, a large domed mass of metal spewing smoke and steam of all sorts. A small spout sat on the top of the device, dripping with some kind of goo. So this was... "A slime machine..!"

More chuckling filled the air, the doll remaining just as motionless as before while Malik explained. "Correct. This device produces one slime each turn," he said calmly, the machine smoking and steaming from where it hovered in the air. "Of course," the voice stated with an audible 'shrug', "As long as its on the field, I can't normal summon any monsters..." No, but he could tribute summon as soon as it was destroyed now couldn't he! And given what he'd heard, the teen thought with a swallow, the God Cards were likely too powerful for even the standard 'two monster' sacrifice...

Which meant Malik was going to keep summoning slimes until he had enough for Osiris. A cold shudder ran down his spine with that thought, the teen swallowing as he stared at the field. The 'ultimate' monster...

And for all he knew he realized coldly, it was already in his hand. Yugi again swallowed back the wash of unease, gritting his teeth as he looked across the field. He'd have to kill Malik's lifepoints before he could play it... Knock him out of the tournament first, beat him quickly... "It's my turn!" he shouted, drawing a card to add to his hand without a glance before taking the Buster Blader and setting it on the dueldisk. "I sacrifice my two monsters to summon the Dragon Slayer," he announced, wind picking up with a sudden jump in speed and force, "Buster Blader!" The two monsters on the field vanished into pillars of light, cards removed from the disk and field both as the summoned monster took its place. The swordsman held his broadsword tightly in hand as he stood above the ground, Yugi sending the tributed monsters to the grave.

And with that in mind...

"Attack the Revival Jam," he ordered, the blader giving a curt nod. "HAKAI-KEN ISSEN!" The monster charged forward with his blade, cutting through the goo in a flash of near blinding light. Droplets scattered through the air, the teen grinning as his monster returned to its position. "Yes!" With that 'jam' gone the spell would be destroyed... "I stopped your jam!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Is that so?" Malik asked calmly, his opponent's expression falling.

...What... The scattered drops hadn't vanished from the field he realized coldly, nor had its card. Instead the scattered drops of slime reformed, catching and sticking to each other as they built up the metallic blob once again, one by one until they formed the same 'shapeless' creature that Malik had called 'Jam'. "It... Revived..." ...Revival jam.

REVIVE, how did he miss that? "Hnhnhnhn... This is the regenerative power of the Revival Jam," Malik announced with a laugh, opponent's eyes wide with shock and inner self-beration both. "No matter what you do," the voice continued proudly, "It will not die... You mind as well attack a pool of water! Hnhnhahahahaha..." Gh... Damn...

Damn, damn, _damn it_!

"I warned you didn't I?" Malik asked, still chuckling. "Shapeless, and invincible," he muttered plainly, almost smugly as he laughed, "This is my shield... And as long as the Jam remains," he continued, "Your monsters can't even touch me..." Not good...

Not good at all, the teen across from the doll thought tensely.

"Now back to me," the unseen opponent continued, his doll drawing a card and adding it to his hand in silence. "First," he said calmly, "The Jam Breeding Machine activates... Bringing out the first slime token," Malik announced, Yugi merely biting his lip as the tiny token came to the field from the machine's spout.

He'd need to attack the slime first then. At least he could whittle him down th-

"The slimes created by this machine are weak," Malik drawled with a 'shrug', likely shaking his head from wherever he was located. "Only 500 attack points, and unable to defend..." And there was more to this. Damn it... He'd already long prepared for this, hadn't he. "Hnhnhnhn... Well... If you were to attack me through them, you'd do a lot of damage! So... In order to prevent that," the voice continued, setting another card on the field to reveal its holographic counterpart, "I'll play the spell card Nightmare Steel Cage, ending my turn!" What!

In a flash a cage surrounded the teen and his monster both, Yugi looking through the domed and spiked bars with wide eyes as his opponent laughed. T-This...

The teen drew a card, glancing at it only briefly before wincing and looking back at the cage around him. He couldn't do anything! This was... "Hnhnhnhnhn... That cage is strong," Malik stated plainly, " Strong enough for a solid barrier that will last for three turns, from both sides..." Three! The blood drained from his face at that, expression saying all that was on his mind as his opponent continued. "You can guess what that means, can't you Yugi? I can't attack," the voice stated as the cage 'dug' into the ground, "But I can build up my forces as you stand before me... The second Slime appears," he said plainly, Yugi swallowing as the tiny goo ball appeared to the field. His turn then...

Provided he could do anything...

"By next turn I'll have all I need... Hnhehehehe..."

"Ghh..." Yugi's eyes widened with realization as he stared through the small holes in the cage, colour draining from his face. The card was already in his hand. Osiris was already in his hand!

Malik was going to summon Osiris and he couldn't do anything! "How does it feel in there Yugi..?" How did it- The teen's jaw clenched tightly, a low growl forming as his opponent taunted him. "Locked away, imprisoned in that steel cage... Do you feel... Humiliation?" Malik asked, passing the time that Yugi's turn would have taken, "Despair, sorrow?" Get it over with god damn it... He'd drawn his card, and he couldn't do anything! But as Malik continued, he couldn't help but be unable to hide all of his uneasiness. "It's how I've felt my entire LIFE!" Malik growled angrily, tone taking a dark turn from its usual charismatic calm as the doll stared blankly forward. "The fate of a tomb guardian! And with your death Yugi, I will be freed from that fate..."

The voice trailed off somewhat with those words, his opponent again unable to make a move with what he held in his hands.

"Hnhnhahahha... And look at that," Malik shouted, the machine beside him spitting out another slime as Yugi cursed. Again... Again, he'd been unable to do anything. "I have three slimes..." Four monsters on the field by that logic. "Which means it's time for me to destroy the breeding machine," Malik continued, Yugi swallowing as the doll moved the spell into the graveyard and the machine vanished from sight, "And sacrifice the tokens I have on the field! Don't look away Yugi," the voice roared, his opponent growing paler and paler as the three slimes vanished from the field only for the sky to darken.

In the slime's place a single card had appeared, text too faint to read from his position. To be fair he wasn't trying at the moment, merely turning to the skies with wide eyes. What was this! The weather itself was changing now, storming in reaction to a summon? Just moments before the sun had shone brightly, despite the battering winds...

But now... "Watch," Malik said calmly, the doll making still no movements as it stood erectly on the field. "This... Is Osiris."

An earth-shaking roar came through the air, Yugi resisting the urge to plug his ears in response. Storm clouds were darkening above and around them as thunder pealed through the air, the sound barely hidden by the snarls of whatever beast had been summoned. Lightening struck the ground near where they stood, and from the illumination of the sparks came the shadow of an enormous serpent coming through the air, flying toward the field as it soared among the clouds. This...

He knew each monster had a soul, was its own being in its own right but this...

This was no hologram he realized quickly, a feeling of dread filling him completely as an even louder snarl pierced the air.

" _ **GROAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOO!**_ "

He could hear the roar clearly... And as the monster 'swam' forward, double mouths blasting hot breath in his face as it came through the clouds, Yugi stared in a mixture of sheer horror and awe both. He could feel its breath, see its scales... See the glimmer of light in the beast's eyes as lightening struck from the sides. Hah...

Haaaah... This... "Osiris..." This was...

Osiris...

"Come forth OSIRIS! " Malik ordered with an echoing shout, mad cackling filling the air to join the roars and thunder peals. "Show this fool the power that will bring his end! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The dragon reared with this shout, bottom mouth hanging open as it let loose another roar and coiled above and around its summoner. " _ **GREAAAAAAAAAAOAOOOOOOOOOO!**_ "

He couldn't move he realized quickly, watching as the storm continued to converge around the seemingly endless dragon that was 'Osiris'. It wasn't the cage either. He could feel the power radiating off this monster, hear the sounds of every one of its limbs moving as the beast towered over him, easily matching the size of a sky-scraper if not surpassing it. This... This was...

Real. The teen swallowed, staring forward as he subconsciously drew a card to begin his turn. He had... Had to move. He had to win, for Yugi, for Jonouchi, for Kaiba, for everyone...

"How," he found himself muttering, staring forward with unblinking eyes. "How will I..."

The world, the ground, the water at the side, it was literally shaking with each movement as this 'God' hovered in the air! To say that it wasn't a 'God' would be impossible, false, it would...

"How..."

"How do you beat it?" Malik asked smugly, quite safe from the god in wherever his location was, "You don't," he said rather bluntly, quite enjoying the fear running through his opponent's body. "You can't! Every duelist is powerless against Osiris' infinite attack power, and you Yugi, are no exception!" In...

Infinite! That was impossible, it couldn't possibly have-

"For each card in my hand," Malik explained clearly, "Osiris gains attack and defensive power... 1000 points for one card," he continued, the doll gesturing to his hand. "Right now, my doll has three... Making three thousand attack points and three thousand defense points..." Three thousand...

Numbers ran through the teen's head with those words, Yugi staring through the bars of the cage. One card per thousand, it would be 4000 on the next turn after Malik drew his card. Five on the turn after that, then six thousand, and so forth...

Yugi swallowed, attempting to calm himself despite this fact. He still had a chance though... That meant that Osiris' limit would be 7000 points, same as the limit for the hand of c-

"I know what you're thinking Yugi," Malik muttered, his opponent tensing up yet again with those words. "But I said INFINITE power... And I have a card in my hand that will allow me to do just that," he said with a dark chuckle, the laughter continuing as Yugi narrowed his eyes. "Moreover, Osiris has another ability... But it's still your turn, isn't it?" he continued, the image of a smirk coming to mind with the tone as he changed the subject. "And once that's over," Malik stated with an 'audible' grin, "The Nightmare Steel Cage will vanish, leaving you vulnerable to God's might... So make your move Yugi!" the voice 'ordered' with a laugh. "It'll be one of your last ones..." Make a move...

It was his turn, his turn! ...Osiris was a dragon the teen told himself, looking toward the monster with a swallow. That much was clear... But Buster Blader gained 500 attack points for each dragon on the field, so he had a small chance. If Malik drew another card, his chance would vanish quickly however, so he needed to act, and fast. There would only be one card that could prevent that though, just one, thanks to his inability to attack this turn...

If he...

If he hadn't drawn that card he thought with a shudder, if it wasn't in his hand...

"What's wrong Yugi?" Malik asked with a likely sneer, pulling his opponent's attention from his hand of cards. "Has the terror paralyzed you to the point where you can't look at your hand? You might not be able to attack from within that cage," he continued with a chuckle, ignoring the growing fear and anger in his opponent's eyes, "But you can still summon a monster, or set a 'trap'... You can at least pretend not to give up, can't you?" he asked, laughter filling the air as it was joined by Osiris' low growls.

Give up! The teen grit his teeth, growling under his breath as his hand clenched. Gh...

His cards... "Hnhnhnhnhn... To watch you squirm like this in that cage," Malik hissed, voice seemingly bouncing about on the storms winds. "Futilely trying to defend yourself... This is something I enjoy!" Gghhhh... Yes he would wouldn't he...

But he couldn't. No... No, he could not lose! He had to think...

Malik had Osiris, Revival Jam, and once face down card the teen told himself, looking over the field. He however, had in his hand one monster, a number of spells... And...

"Ah..." He looked over his hand, nodding to himself as he steadied his panic. And this. Alright, he told himself, taking a deep breath as he continued to calm down. The next turn would decide the match!

Yugi grabbed three cards from his hand, hurriedly setting them into their proper slots on the disk as holographic counterparts appeared on the field. "First," he shouted clearly, watching as two 'cards' appeared with their backs to the air before him, "I'll play two cards face down!" The cards shimmered somewhat in the dim light that made its way through the clouds above, the waver in his voice barely hidden as he continued with his move. "Next... I play Kuriboh in defense mode," the teen announced, the furry 'ball' giving an echoing 'kurii' as it was summoned beside him in the cage. Just like the others, there was so much detail and light... He shook himself, turning forward as he prepared for his next move. Not the time! "And my turn is over!" Alright...

Yugi swallowed, heart rate jumping as the 'cage' began to fade. Now or never! "And now... The steel cage vanishes," Malik said with a low chuckle, his opponent taking a step back as the bars continued to vanish. All or nothing! "This cage that's protected you until now..." Hah... Hah... Osiris was growling low from where he hovered, lowering his head to face the boy with hot stinging breaths. Right in front of him...

With a skull and face that was easily many times his size, the monster was right in front of him, so close that if he held out a hand he could touch the beast... And it would not take much effort to do just that. He was right there... Right...

There...

Osiris continued to growl as it floated before him before finally raising its head as its summoner continued to speak, evidently more inclined to let the 'doll' call his attacks for now. "Now it's my turn!" he announced clearly, drawing his card and moving to add it to his hand. "Osiris' power is now 4000 points in total... So here I go! OSIRIS, ATTA-"

"Reveal spell!" Yugi shouted abruptly, barely catching the move as it tied into his opponent's draw phase.

The doll across him showed no emotion, but even so the reaction was easy to envision. "W... What..!"

Yugi swallowed as the spell card swung upward, a holographic blade appearing to pierce through his opponent's hand as he spoke. "Lightforce Sword! I'm using it to take one of your cards from play," he continued, the Doll showing no reaction to the loss even as Malik shouted in rage. A seemingly useless card appeared to the field, before disintegrating from sight. "Rgggg... End turn," Malik shouted in response, clearly aggravated by the hurried defense. "You've saved yourself this time..." Yes...

But this turn would also end it! However...

The teen frowned, swallowing as he looked at the card that sat 'behind' Osiris, watching as it stood in its upright, 'natural' position. ...But why...

Why was Osiris still in attack mode, if Malik knew that attacking would be dangerous... Yugi narrowed his eyes, nonetheless drawing his next card before pointing his own monster forward. He couldn't think of that! "My turn! Buster Blader attacks!" he shouted, watching as the monster charged toward Osiris. "And with that-"

"'With that'?" Malik asked, his opponent paling as the 'doll' suddenly activated the face down card from the field. "Were you saying something? Hnhnhnhn..." Yugi continued to pale as the Buster Blader's sword stuck Revival Jam, eyes wide as both monsters returned to their side of the field. Revival Jam quickly reformed, the activated trap card clearly visible to the teen.

"The... The Revival Jam..!"

"Khnhnhnhnhn... That's right!" Shit! "You activated my continuous trap, 'Jam Defender'... What was my shield is also Osiris'! No matter how many times you attack," Malik shouted with a laugh, "This shield will be there! More over," he continued, Yugi's turn passing over as the teen swallowed in anxiety, "For my turn I'm activating another spell... Card of Safe Return! " The hand increase card! The teen paled even further as the card appeared on the field, largely hidden by the coil's of Osiris' enormous form. "For every time Revival Jam is destroyed," the voice explained, "I draw three cards..."

And the doll was doing just that, adding the cards to his hand just as Revival Jam wobbled back to its position in the field. "And since I now have five cards in my hand," Malik said with a dark chuckle, pointing his dragon forward with an unseen sneer, "You can say good bye to your Buster Blader!" Gh...! No...

Shit! Osiris' great maw opened wide, wider than it already was as a ball of flames developed above him. In a blast of fire and light the swordsman was destroyed, Yugi ducking behind his arm as the wave of heat blew past him. The hologram served as a paper thin shield when it came to heat. And while his lifepoints were more or less still intact, his arms were most certainly not ready to agree with the thought. "Gh... Hng..."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you still think you can defeat GOD?" Malik shouted over the blaze, his opponent squinting in an attempt to see past the flames. "Do you still hope to resist your FATE?" Gh... Ghg... The heat...

This heat... The teen took thick, rasping breaths as the air quickly dried, the crackling flames drowning out the sounds of the storm. The flames were clearly not 'normal' in any way. Already they were vanishing, leaving nothing but clean cement and air in its wake. Yugi's eyes widened as the fires began to clear however, watching as Osiris held his head high above him. Hidden in the flames he'd come close, both mouths closed tightly as it snorted from above. This monster...

" _ **...So... THIS is the one who would be called KING ,**_ " a low voice rumbled, Yugi's eyes widening as the dragon's lower mouth opened to speak. This... That couldn't be...

Talking. The dragon was... Talking...

The teen swallowed, backing up somewhat as sweat ran down his brow. " _ **Hn! Well then,**_ " Osiris 'muttered', the term only loosely fitting his words given the volume of the 'God's voice. " _ **Do you find yourself WORTHY of my power , 'LITTLE KING '? Or are you a KING in NAME only?**_ " he asked with an almost questioning roar, " _ **With his POWER lost to the very fabrics of TIME?**_ " The dragon...

Osiris... Yugi took loud, panicked breaths as he looked at the monster before him, watching it rear back to its position with a loud roar. To ask him these things...

To even speak at all! This monster, this 'God', staring him down, radiating power as it did...

This was... "G..Ghk..."

For the first time in a long time...

He was scared.

* * *

Across the district of Domino many varied reactions were given to the quickly developing storm. Some, store owners and normal people with nothing or little to do with the tournament for the most part, headed inside, safe from the harsh winds that were developing from the east end of the district. Others, mostly duelists who hadn't yet been disqualified from the ongoing 'brawl' that spread across the city, briefly paused in whatever matches they were having to look toward the storm with frowns...

Before shaking off a growing feeling of cold dread to continue on their way. Even far in the distance, on a train that was as of then still on its way toward the west of the country, a few passengers could feel a change in the air. As for those still within the city, there were very few exceptions to the above.

One was a young girl whose search through the city was unfettered by the sudden increase in wind and cold, merely wrapping a poncho around her arms and continuing forward with stubborn (albeit silent) perseverance. Another was a young woman who was now regretting the fact that her outfit had formerly matched with the weather of the summer seasons, and had now begun an unfortunately long trek back to the train station parking lot for her jacket.

Another exception somewhere in the middle of the city's down town square was a small group of friends, two non-duelists and one competitor, briefly pausing in the search for another fight to shudder and look at the sky... With the blond of the group turning with wide eyes toward one of the bridges north of their location, expression revealing far more shock than a sudden storm would normally bring as low rumblings met his ears.

But far out on the other end of the city the only reaction that Seto Kaiba gave to the storm developing in the distance was a slightly narrowed stare, while her brother paid no attention to the storm at all.

"Odd," she was muttering, watching as the clouds appeared to converge in a single concentrated spot. It was as though for no real reason the clouds had been attracted to one area above the city, leaving the rest of the sky clear... "The weather called for clear skies..."

And while it wasn't too cloudy where she was, those clouds were definitely along the coastline...

...This could cause problems with the finals...

_-bzz. Bzzzzz._

Hnn? Her radio?

The woman raised an eyebrow as the small device pinned to her jacket buzzed, staring at the logo-shaped radio before tapping the side to answer it. "What is it?" she said plainly, knowing just how few a number of people knew about the radio in question. Whoever was calling through this probably had a damn good reason... And if they didn't, they wouldn't enjoy things when she got back.

" _Kaiba-sama_ ," the voice of the 'search team's supervisor stated, Seto crossing her arms as the man spoke. " _We've located one of the two God Cards; the computer scans reveal the name 'Osiris'... It's near 350, in Block E._ " The god cards! More importantly though, the set location and name...

The woman's eyebrows raised immediately, Mokuba looking up at the woman oddly as the supervisor continued.

" _We've also identified the duelist facing its owner,_ " he stated, coughing somewhat as the Kaiba siblings both listened carefully, " _The duelist that the Rare Hunter is fighting is Mutou Yugi, and-_ " Yugi! Yugi was fighting Osiris?

...It really figured actually... "That's enough," Seto said 'calmly', mentally keeping her breathing under control. Really, really figured... "Continue searching for the third card," she stated plainly, unable to keep a rising feeling of energy from coming up. With that said and done she clicked the radio off, turning as her brother looked up.

"N-Nii-sama?" he asked, watching as his sister grabbed her briefcase from the side. "Does this mean..."

An almost wicked smirk came on her face, Seto turning toward the east with widening eyes. The second God Card! "Call Matsuda," she said quickly, her brother hurriedly nodding as he pulled out his phone. "We're done walking for now..." And given that her cars were the only 'traffic' exceptions for security reasons, they would be at 'Block E' in no time at all.

Without another word from her brother the call was made, a fierce wind continuing to blow around the pair as Seto's smirk fell to a determined 'mask' of seriousness. So... Yugi was fighting against Osiris was he? Well...

He'd better not give the scum a loss then.


	13. Past the First Gate

Punctuality was, to put it frankly, one of many things that employees of Kaiba Corporation and of the Kaiba family itself were known for and counted on for. They were quick and to the point, and if there was any dallying they were quickly reminded of the task at hand, making the trait a fairly learned behaviour. It was this and many other skills in fact that, provided the employee in question wasn't fired for some reason or other, would often prove an incredible asset when it came to future job searching.

To say that one had worked for the Kaiba Family after all, was to say that one was effectively the 'top' of their position, no matter how menial the position was. Of course the likelihood of anyone even considering to move from said position to a career outside of the family or company was next to zero thanks to all of the benefits involved.

Nonetheless Seto Kaiba thought to herself at the moment, while punctuality was expected the speed that the chauffeur arrived to pick up both Seto and her younger brother from their location was almost too quick... And the hurried arrival from around the corner rather than from the garage a number of blocks away had the woman idly wondering if they'd been following her around at all for the last few hours. 'They' being two now very much memorable security members and the chauffeur himself...

And while it was expected that she remember quite clearly the name and appearance of the chauffeur, being able to tell which guard was on duty ('again') from the shadow in the window wasn't a very pleasing subject. The fact was however, until employee training and screening was done, they were still the best she had outside a few other choices. As for whose idea it was to tail her...

She wouldn't have put it past any of them to tell the truth, though she wouldn't be saying anything out loud. For now she was busy answering her brother's questions as he set up a program to keep track of Yugi's current duel; there was no time to bother with employees going the extra mile. And given that the duel was on the other side of the city, it wouldn't hurt to look into what was going on.

"Alright nee-sama," the boy was saying from the back seat behind her, the two guards looking over his shoulders to stare at the screen. "I just need Yugi's disk ID and I'll be able to trace-"

"6-10-622-1766," she stated quickly, idly tapping her fingers on the brace around her right arm.

There was a small span of silence, those behind the woman blinking a few times while Mokuba tapped the numbers in. The topic of knowing certain numbers off by heart probably wasn't the best thing to bring up... And besides that she would rather not have to bother with questions.

By the end of the evening, she'd know six other sets of numbers one way or another. "Alright," Mokuba said calmly, pulling the woman from these thoughts as the car turned a corner. "I'm in!" Aha...

"Good..." Seto glanced out the window as they turned yet another corner, arms crossed as she continued. "What's the status so far?" she asked curtly, glancing at the rear-view mirror to watch the boy look back at the panel.

"Ahh... The Rare Hunter has 'Osiris' on the field," her brother muttered, the two guards beside him both staring at the screen as he stated the more obvious of facts, "Along with 'Revival Jam' in defense mode," he continued, "Trap card 'Jam Defender' and spell card 'Card of Sanctity'," he stated, the woman nodding as she put that in mind. A card that revived itself, a card that made the 'immortal' monster take attacks, and a card that granted three cards each time a monster came back from the grave... In short, three cards per monster killed, and a permanent shield...

A strong play, that was for sure. Her rival would just have to surpass that. "And Yugi?" she asked, Mokuba looking up briefly before glancing back at the tablet. "What does he have?"

"Ah... Ahhh..." The boy looked back at the tablet, before biting his lip as a slight 'beep' came over the air. There was a small bit of silence in regards to the sound, Odoru's wince clearly visible in the rear-view mirror.

"Well," the guard said with a cough, shaking his head, "He _had_ a Buster Blader on the field..."

...Had? "It just got destroyed by Osiris I think," Taijin added, Mokuba nodding with a wince. "So... There goes that one..." One way to put it...

"Now he just has Magical Hats face down and Kuriboh in defense mode," Mokuba was continuing, crossing his arms somewhat as he held the slate. Kuri-

He still had that thing!

Seto narrowed her eyes, frowning as she held back an exasperated sigh. Typical... Just... Typical. Only Yugi could get away with keeping that card in his deck...

Nonetheless there was likely more that she was missing there. "What about their hands?" the woman muttered, staring out the window with narrowed eyes. Maybe she could figure out more about 'God' from the Hunter's cards while she was at it...

Another moment of silence, a few taps coming from on the screen before Mokuba shook his head. "I can't access the Rare Hunter's hand," he said with a frown, eyes narrowing as his sister did the same. "...Weird..." Tch! It figured...

The disk was probably hacked into. As to how they'd managed that one...

"I have Yugi's though," the boy continued, coughing somewhat as Seto blinked. Oh... Well, that was good to know at least. "Lets see... Dark Magician Girl, Spellbinding Circle, and Baphom- Ah!" Mokuba jumped somewhat, a loud 'ping' coming from the slate as the screen's image shifted. "It's Yugi's turn," he said quickly, a number of other sounds echoing from the back seat. "He just drew Magic Cylinder!" That card?

There were a few more sounds from the slate, Seto's eyebrows raising briefly as a number of duelists ran past the car in what looked to be slight panic. Oh come on, the storm wasn't that bad...

Though she had to admit, the closer they got, the darker the skies...

"Kuriboh was just sacrificed to summon the Dark Magician Girl in defense mode," Odoru mentioned with an idle tone, drawing Seto's attention back to the duel as they continued to drive. "And..."

...Annnnnd? "Wait," Taijin muttered, shaking his head with a frown, "Why did Osiris just attack?" There was a bit of silence at that, Seto frowning as she turned back. Alright...

There were things that even she had to question, and adding to that short list... What. "Osiris attacked?"

Mokuba nodded somewhat confusedly, tapping the screen for the card to 'zoom in' on the screen while he was at it. "Yeah," he said with a swallow, laying the slate on his lap for the four to look at. "Its information sheet updated too," the boy continued. "It looks like in addition to having stats reliant on the number of cards in the player's hand, it automatically deals 2000 points of damage to an opposing monster whenever one is summoned..."

So it would be completely useless against most four star monsters Seto told herself, turning back to the front. "Wait we read that wrong," Taijin added, giving a slight cough as his boss raised her eyebrows. "It subtracts 2000 points from the 'command stat', it doesn't just deal damage... Ahhh... ...Yeeeeeah," he muttered with a frown, "What the hell is-"

"It's the position," Mokuba said quickly, his sister turning back with a slight frown. It subtracted from the stat count? "If it's in attack mode," the boy explained to the guards beside him, "It takes 2000 points from the attack. If its defense mode however," he continued with a frown, "Then it takes off from the defense."

"So it'll be destroyed if it's anything lower than 2000 then," Odoru muttered, the guard frowning as Mokuba 'shrank' the card on the screen to reveal the rest of the duel. Seto nodded slightly in response to that, turning to the front once more as the guard continued to frown. "...Isn't... Isn't that monster in defense-"

"Magical Hats was activated," Taijin said plainly, not looking up from the screen.

"It better have been," Seto muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes. So given that there was no news of a monster destruction, it was probably safe to say that there were now three hats on the field. "Did he do anything else?" the woman continued, the three in the back staring at the slate with the question.

"Two face down cards," the first of the guards answered, briefly turning toward his employer with a more or less blank stare. "Spellbinding Circle and Magical Cylinder."

"Both hidden in... Hats," Taijin finished lamely, raising his eyebrow at the move. Mokuba coughed at that, Seto merely staring out of the car window with a slight frown. Yes...

'Trap in a hat'... And just how many times had that particular strategy bit an opponent in the ass? "How close are we to his location?" Seto muttered, looking out the window as the canal's sloped walls met her eyes. Simply getting narrations from her brother and the miniature peanut gallery was hardly a proper way to 'see' a duel. And given that she hadn't seen any holograms yet...

"We're actually here," Matsuda muttered, pulling to a stop as the doors unlocked. He turned to look through the windows on Seto's side, a slight frown in place. "Ahh... I don't see anyone though..." Well whatever.

The doors clicked and swung open instantly, Seto stepping out with her briefcase as the guards moved to let Mokuba follow behind. Doors were swung closed behind them as they stood there, the taller looking around for a hint of her rival's location while Mokuba kept tabs on the duel. "The Rare Hunter just played 'Infinite Cards'," the boy was saying with slight worry, looking down toward the canal they were beside. "He's pretty much ensured a limitless stat bonus on Osiris... But where is-"

"OSIRIS!" a distant, almost echoing shout ordered, the siblings turning toward the source and breaking into a run immediately. To the left- There! "ATTACK THE HAT ON THE RIGHT! "

An echoing roar met their ears in response to the shout, a small voice in the back of her mind wondering whether this surpassed the volume limit on the duel disk or not. This was the least of her worries, given how close to the duel they were however.

Close meaning 'not at all' of course. Seto grit her teeth as she ran, eyes narrowed as she charged past the first bridge across the canal. Holograms were only barely visible in the distance...

But if there was anything that they could see as they ran, it was only expected that it would be 'God' that first caught their eye. And what a 'God' it was. An enormous, red-scaled serpentine dragon, two sets of jaws within one mouth, wings the size of entire vehicles...

Mokuba even skid to a stop for a moment as the two both stared with wide eyes, the boy actually shaking himself as he moved to keep up with his sister. So... That was...

Osiris... "W-WHAT!"

The siblings shook themselves as the Rare Hunter's shouts came through the air, continuing to run over to the duel as the 'other' Yugi's voice came from the duel as well. "I hid two cards in that hat you attacked, along with Dark Magician Girl!" Two cards? Not just one eh... Well that was new. "Magic Cylinder was one," the teen was shouting, clear view of the cylinder in question meeting Seto's gaze as it absorbed Osiris' attack, "And Spellbinding Circle!"

And there was the Hat-Circle Trap strategy that Yugi used so often the woman noted, watching as the holographic circle wrapped around Osiris' form. And now that she looked at it...

Since when in the hell did the disk system support holograms that big? The monster had to be the size of an entire building, the hexagram holding the beast in place twice as large by default. The sheer power radiating off of this monster though!

Her attention was quickly pulled from her thoughts on the God card as her 'rival' continued with his move, the teen clearly holding himself up from the ground by resolve alone. "Osiris' attack is rebounded," Yugi was shouting fiercely, eyes narrowed with determination. "The God will die from its own blow-"

"Hnn... No." What? Seto raised her eyebrows as she looked toward the 'Rare Hunter' Yugi was facing, a frown coming over her face. The answer was quite blunt to say the least, though it wasn't the answer that had her frowning. "Didn't I tell you Yugi?" the Ghoul was saying, a low chuckle filling the air as he spoke. "No mortal, 'King' or not, can raise a hand against the GODS! The Revival Jam takes the hit," the hunter shouted, the actions described taking place with those very words as Yugi's face fell completely. Well...

That was all expected, Seto thought with a frown, watching as the Hunter drew three cards in response to the play. With the cards on the field, even 'effect' damage would be re-directed as such...

But this person, if he could even be called that given his physical state, was... Completely emotionless. There was nothing on his face, not even a twitch, or... Well, anything. Just shadowed, glassy eyes, and a hairless body. "Osiris' attack and defense rise by 3000," the hunter announced clearly at that moment, the dragon giving a near glass-shattering roar in response as Seto again found herself distracted by the beast. Glossy red scales reflecting the dim light around them, glowing gold eyes staring forward from an enormous head... That...

That power...

"Oh and one more thing," the hunter drawled, expression far betraying the emotion in his voice as Seto brought her attention back to the duel. "The power of a spell or a trap is nothing against a 'God'. By the end of this turn," he continued with a low chuckle, the words describing a fact that the CEO had long since known about, "The hexagram will be long gone..." And that would be about...

Now.

"My turn!" the Rare Hunter announced, emotionlessly drawing a card as Seto looked over the field with narrowed eyes. Without anything else to do Yugi's turn had ended without him even saying a thing after all. There was no reason for his opponent not to take the initiative. "Osiris attacks! And with that," he continued, blast of holographic fire and lightening burning through the form of the monster and eradicating it completely, "The Dark Magician Girl dies!"

"G-Ghh..." It was easy, at least for her, to ignore Yugi throwing his arm above his face in defense as fire filled the air before them. The flames were even more realistic than she could have ever expected from the duel disk, the heat from the attack appearing to scorch the ground itself. Amazing...

Amazing... Nine thousand attack points now, it was an almost perfect strategy and...

And... Seto tensed, turning from Osiris as a faint 'thump' noise tore her attention from the sheer power of the monster before her. No.

Her eyes widened briefly as the flames vanished, revealing Yugi's slumping form clearly. No, no, no, _no, NO!_ "Gh..."

NO!

"Get on your feet YUGI!" the woman shouted, staring at her rival's form as the teen fell to his knees. No... He couldn't possibly be thinking of just giving in! She watched as Yugi turned, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms with a growl. Osiris was powerful yes, but it was hardly worthy of the hands it was in now! If she was getting this card, she was getting it through Yugi! And no one else! "Your life as a duelist doesn't end here," she continued with a snarl, Yugi slowly pulling himself up in response. "Understand!"

Beside her Mokuba nodded, looking at the teen near the canal with a slight, yet fierce frown in place. "YUGI!" he was shouting, leaning on the sidewalk railing as he cupped his hands. "You have to face off against Nii-sama got it? So don't even think of losing to this baldy!" Hn! Well put description of the Rare Hunter...

Silence was the siblings' response however, with Yugi merely struggling to his feet and staring at the ground. Tch... So he was actually giving in? "Yugi... You are one of the few people in this world that I recognize as an opponent, understand? So where is your pride?" she asked, expression growing more and more incensed as she spoke. "I won't allow you to lose miserably while I watch... Unless you think that I'm actually willing to believe, for some pathetic reason," she spat angrily, "That this scum is better than you!"

More silence came, the winds of the storm blowing about viciously as her coat billowed out behind her. Silence...

Just endless silence... She was not going to let him ruin this! There was only one person who could defeat Yugi... And that was her!

And like hell she was standing for anything other than that! "Yugi!" she growled, fists clenching as her rival continued to stare at the ground. "If 'God' stands in your way then MOW HIM DOWN, with no regrets! TAKE HIM OUT!" And if he didn't take those words to heart she muttered to herself in the back of her mind, her brother merely watching below to see what Yugi's reaction would be...

Then what the hell kind of rival did she have?

* * *

The last attack from Osiris had been just as painful as the first. The flames had wrapped around and through the Dark Magician Girl, searing the ground and blinding his eyes. Even when the automatic attack blasted through the Magic Cylinders, missing the teen and his monster completely, it had been far too painful to simply be light. More of an unbearable, concentrated blast of energy...

And yet at heart he knew that this had nothing to do with himself, with the dark powers from the puzzle around his neck, or even the monsters of his deck. This wasn't tied to what ever powers drew from the duel monster's realm. No...

Somehow, he had a feeling... The 'God's question of 'worth' was not merely words. Somehow this was a test of strength...

And one that he simply could not win. But while that realization struck him, weakened body falling to the ground on his knees...

"Get on your feet, YUGI! "

Kaiba was here. She was standing at the side of the canal with a scowl on her face and her eyes blazing with unbridled rage. And in addition to that her brother was standing beside her, his own eyes wide as he scowled and shouted for him to stand...

...Hn!

...Like hell he was losing...

The woman was right he thought with a mental nod, pulling himself to his feet with a small grimace. If God was in his way... Then he would do exactly as he had vowed to do before, when this match had started! "Alright Kaiba," he said with a nod, resolve again restored as he adjusted the disk on his arm. The teen looked forward with narrowed eyes, gaze turning briefly toward the enormous beast that was Osiris as he straightened himself out into a braced 'duelists' position. "Watch... I... Will defeat GOD!" No matter what, no matter what...

Regardless of what was yet to come, he would overcome this 'challenge'!

"Are you ready Malik?" he shouted, voice almost coming out as a snarl as he drew his card. "It's my turn!" And to decide that turn...

The teen swallowed, looking over his options as he added the card to his hand. He had Baphomet and Big Shield Guardna from before, neither of which could even hope to stand a chance against Osiris for the moment. And from this move, Monster Reborn...

Well, he thought with a nod, no sense in delaying the turn then... "I set a card face down," he announced, sliding the spell card into its slot and watching as the holographic 'sheet' appeared across the field. "And next," Yugi continued with a shout, taking a second card from his hand before setting it

on the disk, "I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode, ending my turn!" And with the summoning of a monster he thought with a swallow, Guardna in question ducking behind his shield with a slight grunt. Came this...

"Knhnhnhnhn... Osiris' effect activates," Malik said somewhat smugly, his opponent swallowing as the dragon-God reared its head to fire the attack. The heat was already beginning to burn across his face, Yugi closing his eyes as the attack was fired forward. Gh! "You should be glad," he said with a near cackle, the Kaiba siblings merely watching from the side as the blast blew around the target's shield to wear away at Guardna's defense. "Thanks to the defense power of your monster," he continued with an audible sneer, "It survives the first attack... But for its next one, it won't stand a chance! I draw," he shouted, the doll doing just that as Osiris' power grew further in power, "Giving Osiris TEN THOUSAND attack points! " Ghk...

It was one thing when it was still a four digit number, but hearing the word 'ten-thousand' still had the unwanted effect of sending a shiver down his spine to say the least. "T-Ten thousand," Mokuba was muttering from the side, turning to his older sister with wide eyes. "N-Nii-sama," he asked with obvious worry, swallowing nervously as he continued, "How is he supposed to beat something with infinite attack power!" Gh...

Some... How..? Damn it... The teen grit his teeth, wincing as the doll across from him waited for the automatic attack to clear from the field. If he ran out of monsters and Osiris' attack struck him head on...

He was 'dead', figuratively and possibly literally! "Yugi... LISTEN!" Kaiba abruptly shouted, the teen turning as his rival continued. "NOTHING is infinite," the woman roared, Yugi frowning in response. Nothing is infinite... "It's just God's deception," she continued loudly, "An illusion of power!"

Deception... An illusion...

"OSIRIS ATTACKS, " Malik was shouting as Kaiba's own calls were drowned out by the surrounding storm, the flames roaring past to destroy the monster beside him in a wave of holographic light and ash. The card behind the monster followed just as quickly as the monster did, leaving nothing but his face down card on the field. "Big Shield Guardna is destroyed! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!" This laughter was really beginning to grate on his nerves... "What do you two think you're babbling about?" the voice was cackling, his opponent merely waiting for the attack to dissipate as he closed his eyes. As calm as he was now that he had the answer, that didn't change the heat from Osiris' attack... Nor did it change the fact that he was technically surrounded by fire. "'Nothing is infinite'? This is the power of GOD you're talking about, " Malik laughed, the doll's blank expression slowly becoming clear as the flames vanished. "Yet you have the gall to believe those words!" Hn...

Nothing is infinite? Hah! The teen chuckled to himself somewhat, shaking his head as he looked across the field. "Hnhnhn... I see," he muttered, blinking slowly as the last attack finally cleared from the area completely. "Kaiba!" Yugi shouted, glancing at the woman as a smirk came over his rival's face. "Thank you... I know how to defeat Osiris!" The look on Kaiba's face was enough to say that she expected nothing less. As for her brother, he was currently staring somewhat incredulously as he nodded.

"H-Hah... Alright," Mokuba shouted from the side, a grin slowly coming over his face. "Go for it, Yugi!"

Hn! He would...

Yugi narrowed his eyes as he stared across the field, the winds from the storm almost visible as they blew around the two. "Listen carefully Malik," he said calmly, thunder pealing in the distance as he spoke. "My next turn... Will quite likely be the last turn of our duel. And at the end of it," the teen continued, eyes narrowing further as he swallowed back a slight wave of unease looking at Osiris once again, "Only one of us will be left standing... The winner!"

". . ." ...No answer? No, he noted with a slight frown. Just a near silent one... Which was steadily rising in volume. "Hnhnhn... Hnhnhhahaha... H _AHAHAHAHA_! Have you lost your mind?" Malik asked with a roaring laugh, the doll merely standing in its same straightened pose as 'he' spoke. "You think you can dig yourself out of the grave within one turn?" he asked sarcastically, still howling with laughter as his opponent stared in silence. Could he do it?

"Of course," he answered plainly, a wave of silence coming from the doll in response. There was one card in his deck he could use for this after all. Just one... If he didn't draw it, then he would have no monster to defend him next turn. If he did draw it however...

...

He would draw it, that was all that mattered. "Now then... I'll take your silence as a sign that your turn is over," he muttered, moving to draw his card with closed eyes as he took a deep breath. "So..." The card... The teen swallowed, pulling it from his deck with baited breath before slowly opening his eyes to look at what was in his hands. This...

This card was...

This was what he needed.

"...Heh... Malik," he called with a smirk, the expression widening to a slight grin as he gripped the card. "I win."

Only a fraction of a second was needed for his opponent to respond to that. "W... What...!" Hn!

Was it really so surprising? Yugi merely steadied his gaze, slipping the card into a slot on the disk as he activated his other spell. "Here I go!" he shouted, the first face down card swinging upward to shine a brilliant light across the field. "First I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back the Buster Blader from the grave," the teen announced, the card vanishing to create an immense beam of light above the ground.

"You- Hah!" Malik's shock was quickly replaced with amusement, the voice laughing wildly as his opponent held silent. "Run out of meat shields then?" the 'doll' shouted with a laugh, watching as the warrior arose in a pillar of light, "You realize that this only saves you for one more turn don't you!"

"I only need one turn," the teen responded with a smirk, crossing his arms. The warrior as well took a more relaxed stance for his challenge, arms crossed as his blade sat across his back. "Buster Blader is in Attack Mode," Yugi continued, the smirk vanishing into a challenging glare. "I told you Malik... This duel will only last for one more turn. Because this is a combo that surpasses even the limits of GOD!"

"Surpasses the limits of..." There was a small span of silence, Osiris' effect put on hold for the effects of the other cards on the field to take place before it. "Khnh... HA _HAHAHAHAAAA_! You really are completely insane aren't you?" Malik roared, laughter filling the air to the point that even the storm above seemed to pause to join in. "Beyond God? You think that your strategy surpasses GOD?" the voice asked, tone clearly laced with incredulity. "You can't surpass GOD! Your own move just activated my spell, you've given me three more cards," he continued with a cackle, doll's mouth wide and gaping to allow the shout through his lungs and throat. "Osiris' attack is now THIRTEEN THOUSAND points in total! You've doomed yourself!" the voice howled, laughter echoing and sounding over the crashing thunder above, "But first... Your summoning activates Osiris' automatic attack!"

With those very words Osiris roared, a blaze of fires charged under its first mouth before firing forward.

"Your monster may survive that," Malik was continuing darkly, Yugi merely grinding his teeth as the Blader stumbled under Osiris' stinging flames, "But with little over a thousand attack points, my win will be a complete land slide... Do you still intend to attack?" he 'asked, chuckling as his opponent narrowed his eyes. "Do you still intend to charge forward with this foolish bravado of yours? You can always switch to defense mode," the voice continued with a low laugh, "And save yourself one more time..."

Tch! As if he was running! "Who do you think I am?" Yugi snarled fiercely, a scowl set on his face as his monster gripped his blade and held it forward. "The Buster Blader remains in attack mode! And more over," the teen continued with a growl, "He attacks! Go Buster Blader," he ordered, pointing the warrior forward as the swordsman charged, "Attack Osiris, and end the turn!"

As the warrior charged across the field, more laughter filled the air. "Pbbbffttt! How many times... How many times are you going to make this mistake?" Malik howled, his 'slime' monster already jumping in front of Osiris to take the Buster Blader's attack. "Jam Defender activates," he shouted with an almost snarling tone, "Revival Jam takes the hit, and in response to the monster's death, I draw three cards! You can't even reach God Yugi," the doll continued with an audible sneer, drawing his three cards with those very words. "And for all the pointless sword swinging you've done, what do you have to show for it?" A good question. As to the answer...

"This," Yugi said with a sinister grin, watching as the Revival Jam's droplets floated about the field while its owner drew his next card. "I didn't forget my earlier mistakes," he continued with a smirk, activating his final face down card with a small click. "I've been waiting for this moment... Activate the spell Brain Control!" he announced, the card swinging upward to work its magic across the field. More laughter filled the air, even Osiris appearing to stare confusedly at the spell as the light from the card filled the field.

"Brain con... Hnhnhnhnha! So that's what your so-called plan is?" the voice laughed, providing an even eerier contrast between the tone and the doll's face. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble Yugi, but I've already told you... Spells and Traps don't affect God for at all as long as they normally would," he shouted, the God that swirled about him merely staring in closemouthed silence. "And in the case of a single-turn card," Malik continued with a laugh, "It doesn't work at all! Osiris moves to attack Buster Blader," he roared, the dragon's mouth dropping open to charge a blast of red hot flames. "This is the end..!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Indeed it was. "Now," he said quietly, "Who said I took control of Osiris?" Yugi asked, the sound of a quick 'eh?' coming over the air as he grinned. "Malik," he began, low chuckling coming from himself rather than his opponent for once, "The Monster I took control of was your Revival Jam... Take a look," he continued with a grin, gesturing to the card that had appeared in front of his Brain Control spell. The droplets of slime that covered the field from the last turn were now converging in front of him, slowly building a shield. "The monster regenerates on my side of the field," Yugi shouted clearly, "And from Osiris' effect takes an automatic attack before your targeted one can take place!"

A roar of flames passed by as he said those very words, the Revival Jam disintegrating to a mere droplet before growing back to its original size. "And with its come-back, there's your cue! Draw three cards with your spell's effect," he 'ordered' pointing almost accusingly at the doll that stood across from him.

"Draw- ...Hnhnhnhnhn... Very well Yugi," Malik decided, his doll doing just as 'commanded' as the voice chuckled. "Seeing how this can only help make your defeat all the more sweet by strengthening God's power..." Well, whatever helped him get over this... "Well now! With that done and over with," the voice called out, "Osiris continues his attack on-"

"Now hold on," Yugi said with a wicked grin, pointing toward the regenerated Revival Jam. "You're not finished just yet. Revival Jam just revived itself," he pointed out with a short chuckle, "And it's still your turn... He's still under my control," the teen continued darkly, "Which means Osiris' effect activates again!"

"Again..."

Horrified silence filled the air as the dragon-God fired its attack, again destroying the Jam in a blaze of stinging and endless flames before it grew back to its original state. Gh... Even with this shield here, that attack stung terribly. If not for the sheer distance between Osiris' head and himself...

Gkh... The teen shook himself, listening as his opponent continued to mutter to himself in dull horror and shock. "It activates aga-..." More silence, the doll merely staring as the monster sat on the field, waiting for its former master to complete the 'round' it had started.

"Draw three more cards," he 'reminded' his opponent, the doll doing so as the silence continued to fill the air. Droplets from the fallen monster repaired with the action, the slime monster shaking itself as its hologram shimmered with artificial light. "And with Revival Jam's re-appearance," the teen continued, watching and inwardly wincing as Osiris again charged up a blistering wave of fires in its mouth.

" _ **GRAAAAAOOOOOOO!**_ "

Another attack came through the air, the monster's owner still silent with horrified realization as the Revival Jam again melted and revived.. "...Gh... H... FUCK!" the 'doll' roared, drawing three cards in the same eerie emotionless state it had held the entire duel. "You... An INFINITE LOOP!" Of course! But hnn...

He swore...

That was interesting. "Hn! That's right," Yugi announced, feeling no need to 'remind' his opponent of the events on the field as the doll slowly but steadily wore away at the deck. Fire, revive, draw, fire, revive, draw... Beads of sweat were running down the sides of his face, sticking uncomfortably to his clothes as he stood in place. "And in one turn," the teen continued with a frown, "By your own hand, Osiris' 'infinite' attack will reach its limit... But I should correct myself," he stated, frown deepening as the doll's cards began falling to the ground from his hand, the man unable to hold them all within one thin and bony palm. "Osiris' power was never 'infinite'. It was bound by one key thing... The number of cards in your deck!"

"Nnn..." The last card fell to the ground, the doll reaching at the deck as Revival Jam revived for the final time only to drop his hands to the side. "NO!" ...Yes.

With that single shout the cards on the field vanished from sight, the duel-disk turning off as it ran out of cards to hold. Even Osiris large as he was, began to disappear, albeit at a far more delayed pace than the instantaneous reaction resulting from the duel-disks shut down. The skies above seemed to clear almost instantly as the doll collapsed to the ground, the sun peeking through the clouds as the storm quieted. "...I win," Yugi stated plainly, the once fierce winds softening to a cool and rewarding breeze that soothed the minor burns sustained under Osiris' onslaught. And that was it. He...

He had defeated...

" _ **Well done,**_ " a deep and powerful voice stated, the tone seeming more calm than frightening now that the duel was over. Yugi paled at the sound, looking up as Osiris translucently hovered above the field in its still delayed disappearance. It... It was still there! Even after the duel was complete, and the storm had passed! " _ **LIFE and DEATH, that which I was once given command and control over ... Little King,**_ " Osiris boomed, snake-like coils swirling in a seemingly endless spiral through the air, " _ **My POWER is now YOURS... But be warned,**_ " he continued lowly, " _ **For this is not the end of your TRIALS... Your JOURNEY has only JUST begun... Use my power WELL, Little King,**_ " the dragon warned, fading out of sight as its rumbling words became mere whispers on the wind, " _ **And use it wisely...**_ " Use it...

It was as though a book had just been dropped over his head at that moment, that last statement. As though the realization had only now just come into place, Yugi's eyes still wide and unblinking as he slowly looked back at the ground while Osiris vanished. ...He...

He'd defeated a God... He'd 'passed' the test. And moreover he realized, slowly looking to the side, it was all because of...

Her.

* * *

"H-Hah..." The reactions that the Kaiba siblings had to the Rare Hunter's defeat appeared quite mixed, despite the overall feeling of relief that the taller would very much deny ever having. The feeling was at least voiced clearly by her brother however, who was currently looking below at the canal walkway with wide eyes. "He... He did it!"

Well of course he did, the woman was telling herself, but even so she couldn't help but hold that particular snarking comment back. Mokuba grinned as Yugi's opponent collapsed face first to the ground, the boy hopping the side of the rail and sliding down toward the canal with a laugh.

"Congratulations!" he continued to shout, his older sister momentarily glancing at the Rare Hunter before looking back. "Hahaha!"

Yes... He had 'done it', hadn't he. Seto remained silent as her rival turned toward her, eyes narrowed for a moment as her brother moved to grab the 'ante' from the Rare Hunter. The power of a God card...

A power only a few could possibly be worthy of wielding, let alone able to defeat. A power that like herself she thought minutely, her rival now had in his grasp, in his deck...

"...Hnhnhnhnhn..." A smirk came over the woman's face as she stood there, eyes narrowing in mirth as the thoughts cleared into a single, steady plan. Well... Her rival was nothing short of 'the best' really. After all the woman thought, smirk widening just slightly in an eerie light, if he wasn't at her level then what point would their be in facing against each other?

"H-Hey," Mokuba muttered from the canal side, Seto blinking as the boy's voice continued to waver through the air. "What's wrong with this guy anyways..."

The woman turned as Mokuba tapped the ground beside the Rare Hunter's head, her smirk vanishing as she took in the sight of the collapsed body. A good question... After the duel end he'd simply collapsed, like a marionette with cut strings. No move to protect himself from harm, catch himself...

He'd merely fallen. "Is... Is he dead?" her brother was asking as Seto thought this, slowly pulling the disk from under the body's form with a disgruntled look on his face. "E-Ehh..." Hnnn...

She narrowed her eyes, briefly meeting her brother's gaze before giving an uncaring snort in response. His chest was rising, he was fine...

They needn't bother with anything else concerning scum like the Ghouls really. "R-Right," came a muttered response to her own silent one, her brother looking back to the evidently alive body. Mokuba shook himself as the bone-thin man continued to sit motionlessly, pulling the card from the disk by two careful fingers before grabbing the locator card that had been stored in the bottom of the device. A few nervous moments passed, the boy edging away from the body before giving a loud sigh and turning back to the others. "Alright! Yugi!" he shouted, moving swiftly toward the teen with a wide and again cheerful grin. "As the Battle City's 'Steering Committee Chairman', I'll be judging the ante for this fight, understand?" The boy's grin continued to grow, his older sister silently shaking his head. Yes, he was certainly proud about that wasn't he?

...Even with all the times she'd told him the title was the same as it always had been...

Well she supposed it was all in the actions rather than the words, a thought that was abandoned fairly quickly as she turned her attentions back to the two below. Yugi for his part, appeared to be in some sort of state of shock at the moment, merely walking toward the boy and nodding as Seto's brother held the cards forward. "Alright," he muttered somewhat blankly, holding his own hand out.

The teens watched as Mokuba continued to grin, handing the cards over to Yugi with a nod before softening the expression to a more natural, smirking sort of smile. "Here you go," he said plainly, crossing his arms as Yugi took the cards from his hand. "As the winner," the boy continued, "You are now the proud owner of the God Card 'Saint Dragon Osiris'! Tadaaaa!" ...Every now and then, she would be reminded that her brother was still only twelve... "In addition," Mokuba said with a smirk, Yugi simply looking over the cards in his hand rather numbly, "You receive another puzzle card... You better hurry up!" he said with an again growing grin, chuckling under his breath as Yugi looked to him in slight confusion, "Katsuya-nii and Nii-sama are already way ahead of you!"

"Ah-!" The teen blinked, staring at Mokuba a moment as he registered those words. "Jonouchi is-!" Yes, the Mutt had five cards and was raring for his sixth...

...She was still far far ahead of Jonouchi though, damn it!

......

...Alright she was tied with the dog. A low growl came under her breath at the thought, Seto momentarily glaring at an empty spot in the air. But if anyone even thought of mentioning that out loud...

The woman blinked, frowning as a somewhat familiar feeling came over her. This... She watching as Yugi reloaded his deck and turned back toward her with a challenging look. Ahhh. That's right... As competitors in this tournament, a match right there was effectively written in the rules...

She certainly doubted that her soon to be opponent would refuse after all. The woman swiftly hopped over the fence, skidding down toward the canal before coming to a stop and adjusting the duel disk on her wrist. "Are you ready?" she asked, walking toward her rival with a challenging nod. Her opponent as well returned the gesture, slipping the card into his own deck to allow the auto-shuffle to take place while Mokuba gaped.

"N-Nii-sa- ...Seto-niisama!" he asked incredulously, gesturing to Yugi as he shook his head. "You're fighting him now?" The woman merely held her stare, the expression giving more than enough of an answer for the boy. Of course she was, he was right here after all so why the hell would she pass up this opportunity? Mokuba frowned, looking back up toward where the car was parked before continuing. "But what about-"

"...Yugi..."

Without warning the body behind her brother sprung to its feet, arms hanging limply at its side as it stood to face the three. "G- GHAAA! W-What the..!" Mokuba hurriedly stumbled away from the ghoul, shaking as he stared at the man's blank eyes. "Why the heck..." The boy shook his head, choking back a few words as he scrambled to his feet again. "I thought you were out cold!"

Evidently not, though that formation of veins was certainly an... Interesting sight...

As far as she recalled, there weren't any veins or arteries combined that could make the shape of an... ...Eye...

Like in Egyptian myth... Or Pegasus' eye... And every other thing about that country that she was beginning to abhor.

...Fuck her life.

Yugi turned to follow the Kaiba siblings' gaze, a smirk coming over his face as the doll stood before them. "Hn! Give it up Malik," he said plainly, the ghost-white man before them almost swaying in the wind before them. "I won your God Card fair and square, and we both know that your 'doll' is too weak to hold up your threat..." Threat? She would have to talk to Yugi after this. Damn it...

"Oh please..." The woman pulled herself from thoughts of grudging responsibilities, narrowing her eyes as the doll continued to speak before them. "As though I would be so pathetic," the ghoul- 'Malik' according to Yugi- stated through thickly accented Japanese. This tone...

Seto's eyes narrowed further as she listened, gears clicking away in her mind as she attempted to piece the memory. This pattern of speech, she'd heard this before. But where...

Again her thoughts were cut short, the woman frowning as Yugi's former opponent continued to speak. "I didn't even think of that," the man was saying calmly, the different in tone and emotion all the more evident up close. "Besides," 'Malik' continued, "I know that I'll be getting it back soon enough... I merely wanted to tell you something," he said with an almost drawling tone, Seto narrowing her eyes. Because it was always good when someone with this tone said that right?

Hell she'd used this tactic herself a few times...

"I am coming toward a very specific location of this city, known only to myself... Once I do that," 'Malik' stated almost instructively, "My plan will be set into motion..." Plan?

Seto's expression soured even further with those words, arms crossed as she stared at the man. She'd already realized that dealing with Ghouls was something she would have to do. But dealing with Ghouls specifically targeting her rival? Why.

Why did he attract this bullshit! "As of now," 'Malik' was continuing on, Yugi and the Kaiba siblings both listening intently with distaste, "I can see three things, like the three-way broadcast of a security monitor... I see a trembling boy, standing beside the one who defeated me," he began, Mokuba visibly tensing and scowling at the word 'trembling' before stepping back beside his sister, "I see the streets of the city, bare and open, with numerous people passing me by at top speed..." Top speed...

Hn. Besides the bizarreness of this 'three-way' boast, that probably meant something motorized...

Which meant in a city blocked of most traffic, this person would be found easily.

And for the third one? "And in my final view," the ghoul stated with a low chuckle, as though to answer Seto's thoughts at that moment, "I see three young adults... A pale-skinned boy with white hair... A tanned, blond one with a duel disk strapped to his wrist... And a young woman by the name of 'Mazaki Anzu'..." Maza-

Seto narrowed her eyes, frowning. He'd described Jonouchi and two of his idiot friends perfectly. But how... More importantly...

Why? "You..." Yugi grew pale, eyes wide as both he and Mokuba looked to the hunter across from them in horror. Seto herself was holding a steady look of angered indifference despite all this. Though to say that 'Malik's words weren't giving her a cold feeling would be inaccurate. "You dare..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Yes... ' _Me_ '," Malik said somewhat 'jokingly', chuckling as he continued on. "You see while you've been wandering this city," he explained darkly, "I've been keeping an eye on your so-called friends, biding my time... After all," the 'man' continued, tone going even further south, "No one is immune to the powers of my Millennium Rod..." Millen-

Seto grit her teeth, a scowl coming over as the man continued to chuckle. Oh hell, not this bullshit again...

Though at least she was more contained than her rival... Who had currently gone red in the face, jaw clenched together as he glared at the man before him. "You sick, _disgusting_ bastard..."

An insult that warranted still more laughter from the bastard in question. "Hnhnhnhnhn! Really!" he said with a tone deserving of a sneer, "Even better than your blond friend! And speaking of your friends... Well... You'd best hurry up and find them," 'Malik' warned, still chuckling as his body hung limply above the ground, "Before something... 'Unfortunate' happens..." Gh-

That didn't sound good...

"And believe me when I say, they know you're coming," the man muttered, mouth barely moving save for what was absolutely necessary to communicate his words. "So by the time you get there," he continued, "They'll be quite ready for you. Enjoy the game, Yugi! Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... And... _Maa-salaema_..."

"Gh-" Yugi tensed even further with those last words, reaching forward with a snarl. "MALIK!" A loud thump came through the air, the teen's hand returning to his side as the body collapsed to the ground. "MALIK!" 'Salaema'... Seto's eyes widened briefly as the body again grew limp on the cement, Yugi shouting at what effectively amounted to a corpse. That was Arabic, a farewell in Egyptian Arabic. And this tone...

But there was no way that person was...

Egyptian? Sure, the Ghouls were Arabic in origin, but everything about this person screamed Caucasian! He was either European, American, or-

"H-Hey," Mokuba muttered, swallowing as silence came over the air. Yugi turned with a stiff expression in place, grabbing his jacket from the side, actions pulling Seto from her thoughts. "H-Hey!" he repeated nervously, watching as the teen threw his jacket back on, "Yugi, where are you-"

There was no answer save for a severe and cold look from the teen, Yugi turning to run as Seto scowled.

...He wasn't _serious_ , was he?

Seto's scowl from prior quickly returned as the teen clicked his disk back into the 'in-active' position, stowing his deck safely in the holster at his side before moving to run off. Ohhhh no. Not right now! "Yugi," she growled, turning on her rival as the teen stopped. "Don't even think of running away!" No. She was having her match damn it, and no 'eerie voice' (It really wasn't that frightening...) was saying otherwise...

Nor was any sort of 'Millennium Bullshit' getting in her way!

...And the mutt could handle himself!

"Kaiba..." Yugi turned, narrowing his eyes as the woman continued to glare at him. "This is about more than just 'Ghouls'!" he growled, a scowl clearly visible on his face. More than the ghouls? "I can't fight you right now... Not when my friends are in danger," the teen continued with a shout. "I refuse to let them die!" D-

They wouldn't-

...She had no proof of that one...

Without another word Yugi tore off, leaving a somewhat dumbstruck Mokuba in his wake as Seto grit her teeth. Idiot. A complete idiot! Her rival was a good for nothing-!

"Tch... Choosing 'friends' over 'pride'..."

"N-Nii-sama," Mokuba said with a swallow, turning back to his sister as the woman's scowl lightened only slightly. "What if Yugi's right though?" he asked, eyes filled with worry. "What if Katsuya-nii and the others are..."

Rgggggghhhh...

The woman's teeth continued to grind, before she turned to watch the chauffeur drive closer to where they were. Tch. At least something was getting done. "There are easier ways to find them," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Mokuba," she said clearly, the boy nodding as he caught the silent message. "Follow the 'Mutt's signal from his duel disk and grab him in the car," she muttered, storming off toward where her rival had vanished.

"Ah... O-Of course," he shouted, moving to run back up the canal steps. "But... Nii-sama?" he asked worriedly, "What are you do-"

"I'm making sure my rival doesn't waste his time arguing with scum-off-the-street duelists," she growled, cutting her brother off as she turned to face the boy briefly. "Call me when you find Jonouchi!"

Mokuba blinked, staring shortly as his sister turned back to where her 'rival' had disappeared to. "N-Nii-sama..." Without another word she charged off, teeth still grinding as she followed after Yugi's likely 'path'. Idiots.

She was surrounded by idiots who couldn't keep their damn faces out of trouble. And of all the damn times to be reminded of THAT she growled mentally, shoes sending loud 'thudding' noises through the air as she charged down the streets. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_...

"Augh... Tie again," someone was muttering in the distance, Seto turning the corner of an alley to scowl. The woman slowed somewhat as a pair of ghouls came into view, each one with their hands out in the typical 'rock-paper-scissors' form as they looked to a clearly aggravated 'rival' of hers. "Sorry Yugi..."

Alright she'd been joking about the 'arguing' part, albeit only loosely. "Gh... Hurry up!" the teen was shouting impatiently, the pair of ghouls before him shaking their heads as they blocked his back.

"We're going," one of them muttered, scratching their head as he looked at his hand, "But we keep tying..."

"Y-Yeah," the second continued, the two ghouls both clearly scared out of their mind when it came to the thought of facing the teen. "We can't decide who goes first," he added, Seto speed-walking toward the group with a snarl. Oh, for the LOVE of...

A low growl developed in the back of her throat, the woman clicking her disk 'on' and scowling as the ghouls before her paled. They'd spotted her now...

And at what was probably the worst possible time for them as well. "You can't decide?" she asked angrily, stopping her approach as she stood beside her rival. "Then tag-team us you pigs! Yugi and I will pair up!"

"A- A tag team match?" one of the two repeated, the ghouls muttering amongst themselves as Yugi stared.

"We have enough people...” the other was saying.

"K-Kaiba," Yugi muttered, eyes wide with evident confusion.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she growled, narrowing her eyes as she held her gaze away from the teen. "One of the main reasons I set up this tournament was to weed scum like the 'Ghouls' from the face of the earth... This has nothing to do with your idiotic mutt," she added with a defensive snarl, receiving a blank and surprised series of blinks in response.

"...I didn't say anything," the teen said rather flatly, before turning as their opponents coughed.

"Ehhh..." The ghouls in front of them swallowed, holding their disks forward. "L-Lets go," the taller shouted, each of them taking stances as they drew a hand of cards. "'Basic Rulings' style!" they shouted, "Duel!" Basic rulings?

The woman gave a dark snort, quickly setting off the manual switch between 'card locks'. It figured that Ghouls found a way to get through the more hidden lock on store-prepared disks... "Hn! This will be fast," she muttered, drawing her hand only to set a single card on the field. Not that this wasn't a problem...

And oooh... The woman grabbed the first card from her hand, setting it on the disk with a sinister chuckle. "Watch me Yugi!" she shouted with a darkening grin, card appearing to the field as the sky appeared to darken. "This is MY God Card... _OBELISK_!"

"O-Obelisk!" the opponents stuttered incredulously, holographic smoke developing behind the woman as the card was summoned. In a single instant the enormous monster appeared, far surpassing the limits of the hologram projectors as it blew the 'opponents' back in a single punch. She could care less about the 'laws of physics' at the moment, or any other to say the least. Hell she didn't even care that the monster was behind her, rather than in front of her where the card was. And as Yugi stared with wide eyes at the damage done by her card, which was now being removed to return to her deck, all she could do was laugh. "HnhnhahahA! Now then," she snarled, grin still in place as she stormed toward the scum on the ground to rip the locator cards from their disks. "Lets go!"

Yugi's only response was a blank, wide-eyed nod, the teen barely catching the locator cards as she tossed them back toward him.

* * *

While storms were developing and clearing on what appeared to be a whim around Domino, Mokuba was busy running for the staircase of the canal while doing as his sister had asked. "Okay," he muttered to himself, biting his lip somewhat. "Katsuya-nii's ID was..." Hnnn...

Mokuba frowned as he walked back up the steps to the canal-side road, tapping a few things on his slate as he attempted to locate the blond. He'd been keeping tabs on him for most of the day but... For some reason when Odoru had tapped the screen to look at Osiris' info in the car, the tab had closed. There hadn't even been anything to tell him of the action, which was why he was resuming the search now rather than already having it set up again. Which was weird when he thought about it...

The boy shook it off however, looking at the location as it flashed back on the screen with a nod. Code was entered, and the disk was working fine! "Alright," he said with a smirk, stowing the slate back in his bag as he walked back toward the car. "The aquarium! That's easy enough to find... Hey! Matsuda!" the boy shouted, coming over to the car at a slight run. The back door was already ready and open for him he noted, the boy's smirk still in place as he ran over. "We're heading to the Aquarium," he continued plainly, "Get there as fast as you... ...Can..." Oh no...

Oh no... Mokuba swallowed, looking into the backseat of the car with horror as the bloodied brows of the two guards met his eyes. Blunt force... It was just blunt force, there was still a-

"M-Matsuda," the boy shouted, looking into the car as the blood ran from his face. "Matsuda, call-" Mokuba continued to pale, stepping away from the car as the unconscious and bleeding form of the recognizable chauffeur met his gaze through the rearview mirror. ...H-Him too...

From the middle of their heads, directly between the eyes, knocked out cold...

The boy hurriedly grabbed his phone from his pocket, dialling in the three-digit emergency number with a swallow. "O-One one nine... I..." Come on... Pick up pick up _pick up_... "Hah... Hah... GHK-!"

A strangled cry met the air as the phone clattered to the ground, the boy raised from the sidewalk by his neck as he attempted to pull at the arm holding him. " _Emergency phone line_ ," a calm voice at the other end of the phone stated, " _What is your reason for calling?_ " Something that warranted '110' instead?

"Gh... Hkg..!" The boy struggled as he was slowly deprived of his much needed oxygen, rough hands gripping at his throat as he shut his eyes. No... No...

" _...Hello?_ " the man on the phone was asking, tears dotting Mokuba's eyes. No... No! He needed to-

A cloth was forced across the boy's face, his eyes widening just briefly before closing over as his body fell limp. No... Something in the cloth...

His vision was fading... And what was...

...No...

" _Hello?_ " the voice was saying again. " _...Hello..? ...Hello?_ " It couldn't end like this... It couldn't...

...

no...


	14. The Power of the Seas

Katsuya liked to think that lately he'd been getting rather good at realizing when he was being tailed. Being able to tail other people well enough himself, it was becoming one of the less-than-honest things he was still somewhat proud of, mostly due to their use. Like his lock-picking; if he hadn't known how to do that, he'd have never been able to bust Seto out of Pegasus' weird-ass hidden basement dungeon.

That sounded a hell of a lot more creepy when he ran that through his head again. Suddenly, Pegasus being dead didn't bug him nearly as much as it had an hour or so ago.

In any case, like lock-picking, tailing people had come somewhat in handy. Like following Yugi around- Why, if he hadn't done that... ...Ehhh... He...

Wouldn't have had that weird nightmare...

Alright, he needed to rethink these things. Maybe it wasn't being able to tail people that contributed to figuring out when you were being followed anyways. After all he'd spent the last year and a bit staring at screens for any single detail or feeling that was out of place, and that was something that only added to years of his own gut feeling saving him while walking to his old apartment in the middle of the night. A gut feeling that had learned very quickly to go with either avoiding a fight, or beating the ever loving crap out of someone that wouldn't actually manage to kill him. But despite this feeling, after the roars and the storms had died down in the distance and the feeling hadn't left...

Katsuya found himself only barely able to reassure himself of the fact that none of those around him, save Anzu and Bakura, were the same people he'd seen an hour, half an hour, or even fifteen minutes before. That the few passersby were merely other familiar residents of Domino, some of which he was even being given a heads up on courtesy of that annoying-ass 'flash' thing. Woman in a skirt, guy in a suit...

Staring at them...

And yet even though this was creepy, and setting his paranoia on high as every glance over the crowd found him holding his breath and catching a spark of flames in the corner of his eye, he only ended up staring off into the distance as that same flash of fire vanished from sight completely.

Not the best way to spend the time after a 'bug-duel', that was for sure. "Jonouchi-kun?" the nervous voice of his friend asked, somewhat faded as another flash of fires passed his eye. The blond jumped somewhat as the others stared at him, coughing nervously as the two frowned at their friend with evident worry.

"Jonouchi?" Anzu asked as she shook her head, "Are you alright?" The woman bit her lip, glancing at where her friend had been staring before shrugging whatever feeling she had off. "You keep spacing out..." E-Eh!

Katsuya again coughed under his breath, looking away somewhat. Shit... They'd noticed that? Bakura nodded as the teen continued to pale, biting his lip as he continued from where Anzu had left off. "She's right," he said worriedly, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the blond. "It's worse than when you're in class... The others told me that was just something you tended to do lately but it seems to be happening far more often now..." Th- They'd noticed that too!

"E-Ehh..." Excuse, quick, come up with an excuse! "I'm... Jus' thinkin' abou' Yugi," the blond said with a cough, the feeble excuse apparently convincing his friends for the moment. The two were both trading shrugs and nods at the moment, expressions of unease fading somewhat as they looked back. "I mean... I promised 'm I'd make it to th' finals, y' know?" Yeah...

And speaking of that promise...

"Course... Even though I've only got one card left to get..." He laughed somewhat nervously as he pulled out the five cards from his pocket, looking around the street before putting them back. "Ehhh..." So far it was like everyone had just skipped down after that storm. Either running inside, or even running home. It was the middle of the afternoon now for that matter.

There were probably only a handful of competitors left by this point. "The streets are almost cleared now," Bakura muttered, looking down the road somewhat before frowning. The albino fell silent for a few moments, arms crossed over his chest as he stared out. It had become a bit of an awkward subject, the Millennium Ring. Sort of an 'all-known' secret. They knew he was wearing it, thanks to that incident back in April...

But damned if seeing it didn't scare the crap out of them, and Bakura sure as hell didn't like talking about the thing. The only comfort they ever got out of the knowledge was when gym class came and he wasn't wearing it. Of course, that only meant they never knew when he was or wasn't so...

"...Hnnn..." Katsuya cut his thoughts short as he followed Bakura's gaze, eyes narrowed as his hair blew into his face. A wind seemed to be passing... Like some strong, hurricane-force gale that only affected the air and not the things around it. A strange feeling to say the least but...

He looked over at Bakura, turning around to walk off into the street. No way he felt it too right? Hell, Yugi didn't seem to catch these things...

Anzu sighed as they continued down the road, a slight frown on her face as she glanced at the clock on her phone. "We haven't seen Yugi all day," she muttered, watching as the skies began to clear above them. She replaced the device in her purse, crossing her arms as the three walked aimlessly down the middle of the street. Empty roads were both the blessing and the curse of the shut down motor traffic not that there was time to think about that. "I wonder how he's doing..." Whaaaat, Yugi? Heh!

"Knowin' him he's already at th' finals, waitin' f'r me," Katsuya said with a smirk, shaking his head. Hell, he was probably way ahead of him! Probably bored out of his skull, standing around whatever building Seto decided on... "Heh... An' I'll be there in jus' a moment," he continued, partially to himself.

"You know..." Eh? The others turned as Bakura brought his arms back down from around his chest, a small smile appearing on his face. "I just thought of something," the albino said somewhat conversationally, turning to the blond as they continued walking. "You've won a few new cards haven't you?" he asked. "Psycho Shocker, and the Insect Queen..." Otherwise known as super-tall cyborg thing and scary-ass bug lady that somehow still had breasts...

"Ih _hhh_..."

Anzu nodded, pulling a slight face as she went a little green. "He did," she answered for the blond, only slightly less pale than her friend, "But they're a little creepy..." A little? More like-

"Gh-! O-Oii," the blond growled darkly, "It ain't like I picked 'm out myself," he muttered in response, ignoring an equally aggravated snarl from his deck. Well, obviously someone (...Thing.) in there didn't agree...

Not that he really cared... "Personally, I found them quite interesting..." In- interesting..! How the hell was-

The others turned as Bakura said this, the albino smiling rather warmly as he searched his pockets for something. "You see," the teen was rattling off, ignorant to the looks on his friend's faces, "I absolutely love grotesque cards like that, with more genuinely 'monstrous' creatures and the like..." Yeah! That was... One way of describing the Insect Queen! "I'm actually a little jealous," he continued with a laugh, the others continuing to stare incredulously, "If it were me, I'd love to add those cards to my deck!" G-Go right ahe-

Ah- Wait... Bakura had a... "Y-You have a duel monster's deck Bakura?" Weird...

He'd never said anything about that... And it wasn't like the game was that new, given everything else that went on because of the cards. Even so the teen nodded, smiling as he pulled the deck in question out from his pockets. There were definite signs of wear on a few of the cards- evidently, this wasn't just something he'd gotten into within the last week.

"That's right! See, It's 'occult' themed!" The albino continued grinning, fanning the cards out in his hands to show the others. There was a fairly obvious amount of care put into the cards despite the wear Katsuya noted somewhat blankly as Bakura held the cards out. In all honesty, he needn't have done fanned them out for him to tell, as the moment the deck met the air a large number of spirits followed with. A blue skinned woman holding the remains of a child-like doll came first, the 'woman' bowing her head politely as she rubbed the broken doll in an almost loving caress as she 'smiled' at the blond. Next, a zombified jester-esque man with strings attached to his hands, muscles and skin worn away to make the man appear more angered than calm...

Sangan was something of a relief from the shades to say the least, though Katsuya was still edging away from the deck with an uncontrollable shudder as more and more spirits hopped out to stare. "O-Occult..." So...

Creepy... He shook himself, watching as the teen closed up the deck for the spirits to vanish from sight.

Thank god... "Hihhh! I am never dueling you Bakura... Never, never, never!!"

"R-Really?" the teen said with a slight laugh, pocketing his deck as Anzu watched in amusement, "Don't be like that now..."

"Never..!" Hihhhh... The blond rubbed his wrists as he attempted to push the feeling from mind, only for a short blip sound to jar him from his thoughts. "Nyh!"

The others blinked, staring as the small light at the end of the deck holder began to glow. It was slow and pulsing at the moment, lighting up the small arrow-shaped lens on the device with a cool green hue. "Ah... What is that?" Anzu muttered, watching Katsuya turn the disk from left to right with variant speeds of 'flashing' from the light. To the left, it slowed to the point where it was no longer glowing. To the right however...

"This is..." Is... Some sort of... "...Ah!" Katsuya grinned as he realized what the light was doing, turning back to the others with a grin. "This must be th' 'duelist search sensor' th' packaging for th' disk mentioned!" he said with a laugh, stretching his arm out as the light flashed more rapidly. Sure seemed like it at least, with the way it was going on... "It detects other active duel disks within fifty 'r so meters," the blond explained, holding his arm out as the blip sounds continued.

"Hah... That's convenient," Anzu muttered, Bakura momentarily staring off to the side with a continued frown. Katsuya as well paused for a moment as another wind passed them by, before looking back as Anzu continued on. "But how would you know which way to go?"

Another series of blip sounds came from the device in answer as Katsuya pointed it southward, his grin growing. "That answer yer question?" he asked, bringing his arm back in and looking down the street. "Alrigh'! Let's go," he shouted, taking off with a laugh as the 'blips' continued through the air at a slow crescendo. "Who knows how long this guy'll be in range!"

"H-Hey," Anzu shouted, charging after the blond as her friend ran off. "Wait up! If it's only fifty meters it can't be that long!" Not taking chances!

"Battle City Finals, here I come!" he called out cheerfully, laughing wildly as he ran with Anzu shouting behind him.

"J-Jonouchi!" He perhaps should have realized that something was off when he didn't hear a 'jonouchi-kun' in addition to Anzu's shouts.

Because if he had, things likely would have gone much differently by the end of the day.

* * *

"Ah... Hang on..." To say he was a little surprised at where the sensor had taken him was putting it fairly lightly. Shining above them rather clearly in the sunlight was a familiar, brightly lit sign with a whale as its mascot and logo after all, and given that Battle City supposedly existed because buildings didn't have the space for duels...

Well, ending up here was more than a bit confusing. "Th' Aquarium?" Anzu as well stared, crossing her arms as she looked from the sign to the beeping duel disk on her friend's arm before shrugging.

"The sensor certainly thinks so..." She trailed off, looking behind her only to groan and shake her head. "Oh no..." Oh no? Well it wasn't a bad 'oh no', there'd be a scream then but...

"...Eh?" Katsuya turned, following her gaze only to blink at what wasn't there. "Wh- Aw hell..."

They'd lost Bakura...

The blond frowned momentarily, before looking to his friend with raised eyebrows. "..Y' think he'll find us easy enough?" he asked, looking from the empty road and back to the aquarium behind him.

The woman beside him sighed, shrugging as she again crossed her arms. "If not," she said with a sigh, "There's always my cell..." Yes, there was always that...

Anzu again shook her head, turning to head for the main entrance as she adjusted her purse. "Let's go inside and find this 'duelist' your disk is so set on and call him after alright?" she decided, turning back briefly as Katsuya moved to follow her.

"Righ'..." Well...

Despite the usual paranoia, there was no weird flames or winds or anything so...

Couldn't be too much wrong right?

The blond nodded to himself with that thought, turning toward the aquarium entrance as they made their way inside. "Sooooo," he muttered, glancing at the entrance fee as they entered the surprisingly short line. "...Y' have 'nough f'r two people righ'..?"

"Two-" Anzu tensed, before looking at her friend with a somewhat broken smile as she 'laughed'. "Ahah... And... How come you can't pay for yourself, mister 'I don't need to lie about a job'?" Oh come on, was she seriously bitter about that? He paid rent didn't he?

And thank god Bakura had defended him on that by mentioning that his dad paid for his apartment, or he'd have ended up at the wrong end of the 'Mazaki-Stare' for a week. It wasn't the 'Kaiba-Stare', sure... But it was still something he was tensing under the thought of, laughing somewhat nervously as he attempted to spare himself for the current moment.

"Ahehehe... I treated a guy t' lunch earlier with the last of my change," he said with a cough, making sure to avoid mentioning Ryuzaki. Or 'Keiichi' for that matter, given that he'd been complaining about 'that guy' for a while... "I... I'm short cash alrigh'?" So please pay for him, he mentally added as it came to their turn in the line.

Anzu sighed as she looked over her friend, turning away and shaking her head. "Hah..." The woman fished out a bit of change from her purse, moving to the front of the ticket booth to buy two fares as her friend silently cheered. Yes! "Alright... But only this once," she continued, pointing back at Katsuya in slight accusation as she handed him his pass. "Got it?"

"Hehe... Crystal," he said with a grin, moving through the gate and flashing his pass across the scanner. "I owe yah one!"

Ignoring the ' _I won't hold you to it_ ' from behind, the blond continued to grin and walk into the large coliseum-esque tank arena, the duel-disk's 'blips' now escalating to a full on, endless 'beep'.

"Now," he muttered, smacking the disk as the beeping began to grate at his nerves. The noise stopped rather quickly as the light flickered out, Katsuya staring at it nervously for a moment. He... It wasn't broken right? A slight flash from the disk in question told him it likely wasn't at least, so the blond decided to push it from mind before moving further into the arena. "Le's see where th's guy is-"

"HA _HAHAHAHA_!" Eh... Wow, for that kind of laughter to make itself known among an arena full of people was pretty- "Talk about a BIG catch!" A what? Big...

Catch? The two turned at the shout, looking near the side of the tank where a familiar, head-band wearing man was gleefully watching a killer whale leap in and out of the water. Loose, messy ponytail, scars on his arms and legs...

"A-Ahhh! It's him!" Katsuya said with a slight shout, blinking a few times, running over with a grin. "Kajiki..! O-OIII!" he shouted louder, heading over to the tank. "KAJIKI!" The man by the tank turned, evidently not caring that he was already thoroughly soaked by the whale's splashing.

"Hn- Ah! Jonouchi," he shouted with a laugh, grinning as the two others came toward him. The whale behind him again jumped, the pair pausing in their approach as the spray of water misted into the air. "Ahahaha!"

"Hahaha! Been a long time!" the blond said with a grin, coming over as the whale beside them opted to take a break from jumping. "How yah doin'?"

"I've been great! Completely fine," Kajiki said cheerfully, the Okinawan crossing his arms as he shook his head. "Long time is right," he added, smirking as he looked at the two. "It's been almost half a year since the Kingdom!" And he was more or less enjoying that time to say the least... "So you're in Battle City too, ah?" he asked, Katsuya nodding as his grin widened.

"Heh! Damn straight," the blond laughed, hands stowed in his pockets as he grinned. "Like I'd miss this chance!"

"Oh... But Kajiki..." The boys turned, watching as Anzu frowned and stared at the Okinawan oddly. "Battle City is supposed to be restricted to the streets," she said somewhat plainly, "What exactly are you doing at an aquarium?"

Kajiki's grin didn't even falter at that question, the man merely continuing to laugh as he leaned against the tank's waist-high glass. "Ahhh, well, I was out on the streets before," he trailed off, looking back at the whale as it swam over to open its mouth in a 'grin', "But the fact is," the Okinawan continued cheerfully, "When I saw this aquarium, I had to come in!" Of course he did, there were fish her- "I've never been to one before, hahaha!"

"Ah," The two blinked, raising their eyebrows. "You haven't..-"

They were quickly cut off as Kajiki continued to go on about the aquarium, rubbing the killer whale's head with a grin. "But ohhh WOW! I knew they had fish here," he said with a chuckle, watching as the whale flipped back into the water with another open mouthed grin, "But this is HUGE! I almost want to pick him out and fry him on the grill!" Hahaha, this guy never cha-

Waaaaaait... "E-Ehh..." Katsuya coughed, shaking his head. "Grill?"

"Fish?" Anzu said incredulously, looking from the whale to Kajiki. H-Hey, that wasn't the point here...

"O-Oiii... Kajiki," Katsuya laughed, rubbing his head. "B'sides th' fact that tha's a whale," he said with a cough, Anzu momentarily gesturing to the blond to emphasize the comment, "An'... Not a fish..."

Probably wouldn't make for good eating... "Kajiki..." The man stared, arms crossed as the two before him shook their heads. "An aquarium is a place to see fish," Anzu was continuing with a cough, shaking her head. "Not to eat them!"

Kajiki blinked at this, a somewhat dumbstruck look in place as he looked them over. "H-Heh..? You city-slickers pay money to... To see fish?" he asked, shaking his head as another grin came over his face. What. What was so wrong about looking at things that would ordinarily be a couple thousand feet under the oce- "Man," Kajiki muttered with a whistle, "You guys are weird..."

It wasn't weird damn it! That aquarium in Osaka had been particularly cool for one, given the chances of seeing a whale shark in reality.

"More than I thought," the man before them added, blinking off his evident surprise as Katsuya frowned. "Heh! If you want to see fish so bad," he continued with a grin, "Come down south... I'll show you all the fish in the sea, HAHAHA! Give them a meal too," the Okinawan added, a well timed splash from the orca behind him happening at that moment.

"Ehhh... S-Sure," he said with a shrug, staring. ...How did Kajiki get from Okinawa to Tokyo anyways...

"Oh, by the way..." Nyh? "Jonouchi?" Kajiki asked, turning to the blond as his friend blinked. "If that's all this place is," he continued plainly, "Then what brings you here?" Katsuya paused for a moment, staring as the man continued with a grin. "You must love fish more than I thought," Kajiki continued loudly, "Maybe I should take you on a trip!"

"Ah-" Wait wait wait..! "I didn't come here t' look at fish!" he growled, going somewhat red as Kajiki's earlier comments on 'weird city-slickers' came to mind. The Okinawan blinked at this, watching as Katsuya tensed a moment more before smirking. Well. Kajiki was a duelist after all... "I came here t' duel," he said with a grin, crossing his arms. "An' seein' how yer th' only duelist here..."

"You want to duel with-" There was a short pause, the man repeating the phrase under his breath. "You want to duel...With me?" Kajiki muttered, eyebrows raised. Was it so hard to believe? The blond nodded, only to growl as the man laughed in response. Oii! That wasn't a real question! He hadn't even asked yet! "AHAHAHA! You can't possibly compete against my Sea deck!" Kajiki shouted, howling laughter filling the air as Anzu shook her head from beside the blond. "Compared to me," the man continued with a wide grin, "You're just a little prawn!"

"Ghhh!" Prawn! As in shrimp? "What was that y' seafood-nut-!"

Kajiki's wide grin instantly narrowed into the familiar 'duelist's smirk', the man clicking his duel disk into position as he gestured to the large amount of space between the tank and the stands. There was quite clearly enough space to fight right there, and given that the show obviously hadn't started... "I said 'alright'!" the man shouted, slipping his deck into place with a nod. "I accept your challenge, Jonouchi!" Ah-

"Heh! Now that's more like it!" The blond moved to stand at a fair distance from the side grinning. Already a number of the people who had initially come to watch the whale show were muttering, talking among themselves. Mostly wondering what they were doing, and a few others watching in evident anticipation. Heh...

Not bad having an audience. Time to show them what he was made of!

"Alrigh' Kajiki!" he shouted, the two now a good thirty feet apart as they turned to each other. "I got five locator cards... I only need one t' go on t' th' finals," he continued clearly, "So why not bet one card f'r now?" His opponent frowned a moment at that, apparently not expecting his match to have that many.

The expression quickly vanished however, Kajiki smirking as he held his disk out for the duel. "A better idea," he shouted with a nod, expression faltering slightly as he appeared to weigh his options while he spoke. "We're running out of time for the tournament," he explained, glancing at the aquarium clock with those words. Three o'clock... Traffic would start up again around six wouldn't it? "I still need two cards," Kajiki was saying as his opponent thought about this, voice plain as the blond looked back. "Rather than only offering one," he continued on, "How about this? I offer one locator card and two rare cards if you win... But if I win," the man shouted seriously narrowing his eyes, "I get a rare card and two locator cards instead!" So either way, the winner made it to the end then. Hnnn...

Well if that happened, he'd still have a clear shot at the finals. Not much time, but he'd just have to bet two...

But what the hell was he thinking about that for, he wasn't losing! "Alrigh'!" Katsuya shouted, disk clacking into place as he nodded. Two rare cards... And there was no way Kajiki had any creepy-ass monsters in his fishy deck! "Deal! Let's go!"

His opponent nodded, a smirk making his way on his face. "Duel!"

A wave of water splashed up from the side as the whale in the tank leaped high beside them, the pair drawing their hands in an instant. The whale had interesting timing he noted- but he couldn't let himself be distracted by that. "I'm first!" the blond announced, disk held forward as the familiar wind that appeared during the duels began to pick up. He won this, and he'd be in! He'd have made it to the finals, made it to where Yugi was waiting, made it to where he would rub this right in Seto's face...

That last one was particularly appealing, at least until he remembered her warning...

Shouts were filling the air from all sides with these thoughts. Some about the whale in the tank, children watching as the killer whale leaped and flipped gracefully in the air... Others more recognizable as cheers, Anzu in particular standing a small ways off at the side with cupped hands...

And all throughout the air a 'tint' seemed to come over the area Katsuya noted, like some thin cellophane curtain of shadow to set the field. It was something that happened during every duel now. As though the entire world was setting the scene for what was about to happen, affecting even their moods.

Kajiki had a fairly nasty smirk in place with that last thought in mind, greatly contrasting the warm grin he'd had before... But even so it was 'friendly' at heart, and true to Kajiki's own spirit.

The blond looked over his hand, eyes narrowed as he thought of a first move to make. Heh... Imagine if he'd still had that Parasite card right now. That would have been horrible, hahahaha... Katsuya shook the thought from mind, instead continuing to flip through his first five cards. Alright! This wasn't a bad hand at all... A few monsters, and his trap, Chasm of spikes! Hehehehe...

"First," the blond shouted with a smirk as he slipped the card into the duel disk slot, "I set one card face down!" A phrase he had to literally force himself to say every time, given that the 'card' was just a blank tablet. Or at least it was now after waiting a few seconds for it to appear from the ground, face blank and unrevealing. Katsuya slipped a second card onto the disk, silently thankful for the fact that he could at least see the cards and the monsters with the devices as he watched the tablet appear. "An' next," the blond shouted as steam wrapped about the stone, "I play Swordsman 'f Landstar in defense mode!"

The alien-like monster's form appeared clearly on its tablet, the shield bearing his image facing out to the crowd watching. And now that that was done... He glanced back at his hand, smirking. Heh...

On his next turn, he'd tribute summon Giltia, getting a powerful monster on the field right off. This duel was going to be over in minutes! "It's on...!"

"Hn! Right! It's my turn then," Kajiki called out, a pair of tablets appearing to the field as he set two cards into place. "One face down card," he began, the first tablet going blank as it arose from the dust and air to his left, "And Flying Fish, in defense mode!" he continued, the second tablet slowly carving the image of a long winged fish on its form. "End turn!" Fish huh?

He stared at the large, arced carving, smirking in response. "So... Y' think you can fight me wi' fish Kajiki?" the blond asked, drawing his next card as the smirk grew. Probably should have figured really... "My deck's got some pretty strong monsters..." Something they were pleased to hear, given the weird feeling coming from the cards in question. Hehehehe... "You should be warned! Here... Lemme show you!" he continued, setting Giltia on the disk and putting the Landstar's card in the graveyard as the image on the tablet shifted and twisted into an alternate one. "I sacrifice Landstar t' summon a new monster," the blond announced, smoke enveloping the stone as the newly carved image made way for a figure in robes and armor. "Giltia!"

The spear wielding monster leaped from his tablet with a mute shout, turning briefly to nod his head at is summoner. Evidently, Giltia was more of the silent type. Along with the serious type as well, given the curt look he'd received before the monster turned his attentions back to the field. It was the kind of look that said 'fighting now, talk later'.

That or 'don't bug me', and he really hoped it wasn't that one.

Across from him Kajiki seemed more than prepared however, the tablet beside him beginning to glow as he laughed. "Really now?" he shouted, his opponent paling somewhat as the blank stone carved an image on its form. "In that case, I activate my trap!" Trap... Oh shit.

Katsuya winced as the blank tablet across from him revealed what looked to be an oncoming wave, gritting his teeth as an actual one tore from the stone to blast into his monster. With a garbled shout the warrior was drowned in the waters, the torrent of fluid acting like a hand as it pulled the monster back into the stone before crumbling into dust. And mere seconds after, the dust as well was gone. As for any water that had gotten on him...

That was likely blamed on the whale, which had conveniently leaped out of the water at that moment. Ignoring the fact that getting this wet from the whale wasn't possible from where he was...

"Tch..." Not good. No monsters on the field, his summon wasted... He still had his trap, but if the word 'flying' in the fish's name was any sign it would probably do dick all. Katsuya swallowed, regaining his stance as he watched his opponent continue. Well... He might as well give it a shot right? And...

_'Man, that duelist is AWFUL_!' Wait what. The blond twitched somewhat as the crowd jeered, clenching his jaw. ' _I guess this makes for a bit of entertainment before the show starts though...'_ W-Wait... First turn they'd decided-

Those bastards! He'd show them damn it! So what if the fish was a flying thing, this was supposed to work by the game rules anyways, not 'Pegasus' rulings! "Hn!" Kajiki snorted from across the blond, Katsuya in question attempting to calm himself down. "I called you a prawn before Jonouchi, but I think I'll have to change that to Krill! This isn't any fun at all!" Kajiki continued with a near snarl, narrowing his eyes as he waved his hand. "If it weren't for your big mouth," he added darkly, "I wouldn't even have noticed you!"

"Gh- KRILL!" The tiny crap that whales ate! "YOU DAMN BASTAR-"

"Jonouchi!" Anzu shouted from the side, the blond turning as his rage filled expression fell, "Calm down!" Ca- Calm down... Right...

Right, right... The blond swallowed, looking across the field as he took in a deep breath. Should probably take the lady's advice, hahaha. Well, he thought, looking back at his hand with a grimace, nothing else to do... "End turn," he growled under his breath, fists clenched as he looked at his blank tablet. This was all he had... He was counting on this! So please prove that dark feeling in the back of his throat wrong!

"My turn then," Kajiki shouted, glancing at the blond's 'card' with somewhat narrowed eyes as he drew his card. That... That was definitely a look that said 'no problem'. Which meant problems for him...

Ehhhh...

"Hn! Here I come... The Flying Fish moves into attack mode," he shouted, pointing the monster forward as it dashed free from its tablet. The fish seemed to swirl through the air as it flipped forward, gaping mouth revealing rows of sharp teeth that had the blond grimacing in response. Kajiki of course, wasn't done yet... "It then moves to attack directly!" he was shouting, the fish darting forward with an odd grunt sound, "TORPEDO CHARGE!"

Alright then! Katsuya waved his hand, motioning for the trap beside him to activate. "Act'vate th' trap 'Chasm 'f Spikes'," he shouted, tablet collapsing into dust across the ground before caving in the center of the field to reveal a near bottomless pit. The pit's spikes arose tall from opening below only for the blond's fears to be realized as the trap took affect. Though the tablet had ground to dust and was sitting in the center of the field now, the Flying Fish was still moving, flapping its oversized fins and locking its mouth tight in a battering-ram styled charge.

And it had eyes for only one thing, and that was him.

"Oh fuck- _GHN_!" The blond was tossed back as the fish struck him in the stomach, body skidding a few feet across the ground with a groan before pulling himself up. "Ung..." Ow, ow, ow... What was with everything hitting his stomach, first Exodia, then that Psychic monster...

And how was he alive again? "Hn! Moron!" Kajiki shouted with a snort, evidently more aggravated than amused by the hit he'd made. "How can a flying monster fall into a pit! It doesn't work that way!" Nooooo, of course not...

And evidently the blond growled mentally, he had yet to realize that Pegasus' rules didn't apply here, and that he'd actually gotten lucky...

...Bastard... Ow his stomach... "Now..." Now? Oh right, still his turn. Damn it... "I'll play another card face down and end my turn," Kajiki called out, narrowing his eyes as the blank tablet arose from the ground and the pitfall in the center of the field filled itself in. "But listen up!" his opponent was growling. "If you don't plan to fight seriously then I'm calling off this match, understood?" Not fighting seri-

Katsuya's jaw clenched, nails biting into his palms as he growled. Agggggh... He was, damn it, he was! He'd just had a bad 'first move'! ...Which...

Really made for win or lose results now that he thought about it with a wince.

...

He should probably pay attention to what Kajiki was saying now...

"When I fight someone," the man was continuing as his opponent swallowed, eyes narrowing while he spoke, "I give that someone my all! It shows my respect for my opponent!" he shouted angrily, "Just as with fishing! I try my hardest, no matter how small the catch," the Okinawan explained seriously, "To pull in the fish. Otherwise one day, a larger one will take me! I try my best... And I expect you to do the same!" Gh... He...

The blond's gaze fell somewhat, eyes trailing off to the flying fish that now hovered beside Kajiki's new blank tablet. The monster appeared to be staring at its summoner as it sat atop its tablet, blank fishy eyes looking at the man unblinkingly.

"I can't go out to sea right now," Kajiki was saying, eyes narrowed as the whale beside them continued to jump about in its tank and send a wet mist over the field. "I don't have a boat," the man muttered, "Nor the money for a boat..." He didn't-

...Well, there wasn't a prize for anyone below first on that island after all...

"That's why I'm here," Kajiki continued, nodding seriously as his opponent stared. "With the cards and the prize of this tournament," he added with a slight shrugging gesture, "I'll have enough to not only get home... But also to make my dream come true!" Well. If he got enough cards... "But even if it takes all my life," the man went on, "I know that the sea will wait; because the ocean is always waiting, ready for the day when we will battle!" Ah-

...Heh. Waiting for a battle huh? Katsuya's expression grew more severe, the blond nodding in understanding. Alright... He got where this 'fish-freak' was coming from then. "Hn... I know what you're gettin' at Kajiki... Just like you," he continued, raising his voice with a stern and challenging stare, "There's someone out there that I wanna fight! Believe me when I say this," he shouted, drawing his next card and adding it to his hand as the image appeared fresh within his mind, "I don' have any regrets... An' no matter what," the blond continued even louder, "I'm fightin' yah at full strength! Now it's my turn!" Katsuya roared, setting the cards and listening as tablets arose without even looking at his hand, "So here I come! First," he announced, watching as the first stone began to give itself a thick-lined carving that filled with smoke, "Th' Alligator Sword in attack mode!"

The stone began to glow somewhat, Katsuya watching as the carved image of the warrior led to the lizard-like swordsman rushing out into the field. The monster gave a swift salute as it looked back at his summoner, but nonetheless held his tongue. There was a time and place after all, and for the moment, it was time to fight. "Next, two face down cards," Katsuya shouted, the two blank tablets appearing at either side the pair flanking him in a way almost reminiscent of a temple's support. And with that prepared... "Turn over!"

"Heh..." Kajiki's former frown vanished as the man chuckled, a smirk reappearing on his face as he laughed. "Hehehe... Now that's what I'm talking about! Alright- It's my turn!" Kajiki roared, drawing his card before switching his fish out from the disk for another card from his hand. "I'll use the Flying Fish as bait," the man announced, the fish vanishing with its tablet in a torrent of water that rose far above the duelist's height, "To bring about the half-man, half-fish monster... The Amphibian Beast!" Bait? ...Er...

Amphibia-

As quickly as the thought came, a scaled, finned 'man' tore through the watery pillar that brought it about, tablet behind it washing out before re-carving into its image. What resembled silt quickly dried into the familiar hardened stone and clay, the fierce 'fish man' snarling at the opponents that stood before it. H-Hihhh...

That did not look good... "This monster is a rare beast that attacks from both the land and sea," Kajiki was shouting, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as his opponent pointed the beast forward. Rare? It looked like a movie fish-monster! But yea, it was still more powerful than the Alligator Sword he decided with an afterthought, glancing at his monster as the reptilian man gave a steady nod. "Are you ready?" their opponent was 'asking', the nod indirectly answering, "He attacks now!" Alright then!

A screech tore through the air as the monster made to answer to its orders, his target's summoner merely gesturing toward the tablet at his side "Activate face down card!" Katsuya called out, stone beside him carving out an image on its cover before vanishing into a dust that formed a thick box of sorts around his monster. The silt and dust hardened into place as the Amphibian charged, a series of head-shaped holes appearing as the monster in question paused out of shock.

Tadaaah...

"Fairy Box!"

"W-What-!" Kajiki froze, eyes wide as he looked over the box and swallowed. "Six holes," he muttered, shaking his head. "What do I have to do, guess which one he's in?" Ehhh...

Kinda. The blond shook his head, smirking as he crossed his arms. "Heh... Not really," he 'explained', watching as his monster peeked out of the box only to duck back as his opponent growled and hissed, "You jus' gotta catch him as he comes outta th' hole!" Of course, he thought with a mental chuckle, given that the Amphibian Beast was already having obvious issues trying to snap at the Alligator Sword's appearing and disappearing head, that was a lost...

...Cause..?

Awwww shit, the blank tablet on Kajiki's side was carving an image and turning to dust already. "Hmp! Nice try," Kajiki shouted with a grin, the sound of roaring water filling the air as Katsuya grew pale. Even as the image of waves appeared on the stone the tablet was collapsing... That was never a good sign. "Too bad I have this," he was muttering, chuckling under his breath. "Umi! The field spell- I'm taking this duel beneath the seas!" Beneath the-

...The seas! Come to think, what would a field spell do to a...

Field...

Uh...

Katsuya's eyes widened as the tablet's cloud of dust became water, the smell of the ocean filling the air as the wave rose high above and behind its summoner. With a rush and a crash the water abruptly collapsed to the ground, water came up to his ribs as he shielded himself from the spray. Awwww fuck! F _uuuuu_ -

Wet! Wet wet wet wet..! And even worse, he noted with a wince. "Gh- Th' box 's under th' water!" He'd expected as much he supposed but...

Well thanks to the bubbles from his now submerged monster, whom was thankfully a large lunged alligator who wouldn't be running out of air for too long, that Amphibian... Thing...

"Amphibian Beast!" Kajiki ordered, water splashing roughly against his opponent while it ran 'through' himself and left no sign of existence. "Hunt him down!" Shit...

The monster could see him clearly and like hell he was getting him! "Now!" the blond roared, an image carving out on his other, partially submerged tablet. Despite being unable to see what he was setting on the field now he could at least tell it was activating as the tablet 'melted' beneath the seas. "My other face-down card... Th' Skull Dice!" Kajiki jumped somewhat as the hat-wearing imp cackled and launched itself out of the water, hovering above the sea and tossing his die to the waves below. "When that die lands," Katsuya continued, the die in question slowly sinking to the ground as he spoke, "That monster's attack is goin' down..." It's number was already decided too. Only the water was prolonging its magic, the block slowly sinking to the ground.

As for the result... Hah!

"With a four, that attack is goin' way down" he continued with a laugh, watching as his oxygen-deprived Alligator cut through the Amphibian Beast to leave a cloud of bloodied water in his wake. "Th' Amphibian Beast is d'stroyed!"

Putting him in the lead as the water cleared, his Alligator surfacing just as the Skull Dice imp dissolved into a rain of sand that landed at the bottom of the sea. "Hah! Well now Jonouchi..." Kajiki was shouting with a laugh, apparently ignorant to the fact that his opponent's jacket was floating for no apparent reason. Probably using the wind as an excuse, with the water supposedly being the whale's fault...

Who knew what the excuse was for him already being more soaked than the 'fish' guy.

But the man was obviously pleased, still laughing as he crossed his arms. "It looks as though you fight well after all... This won't be boring then!" Psh! Of course not!

A similar grin appeared on his face, the blond drawing his next card and laughing. "Heh! Our life points are almost ev'n Kajiki... This duel's only jus' started!" And soon enough, he'd be finishing it too! "It's my turn again," he shouted, narrowing his eyes with mirth as he looked over his hand. Only the beginning and the crowd was roaring now, though for more varied reasons than the last wave he noted.

_'So this is a 'virtual card duel'_ ,' one was saying, a grin on their face as they looked down at the arena. _'It looks fun..!_ '

_'Who's gonna win,_ ' another was wondering, before a much louder shout cut the mutterings off.

_'SHOW US THE WHALES ALREADY!_ ' Yeah yeah yeah... Katsuya merely smirked, looking over his card before slipping it onto the disk as he shook his head. Alligator Sword was standing beside him, barely an inch or so taller than his summoner. And while he was more than enough to deal out a direct attack...

The blond bit his lip, frowning. "I don' s'ppose you c'n attack in th' water?" he asked under his breath, pretending to look over his hand as the monster shook his head.

" _Naw man... Way too slow through this mess,_ " he muttered, arms crossed as he looked at his 'summoner'. Interesting accent he had... What was that, Chinese? The alligator looked back over the field, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the empty 'sea'. " _Hnnnn... You're gonna need flight..._ "

Flight eh? The blond smirked, grabbing two cards from his hand with the word. Well, if that was all they needed... "Heh... Might be able t' fix tha' then," he muttered, setting the cards into place as the tablets came to the field. The tops of the stones were only about two inches above the water, leaving little to see from the stones. As it was the monster tablet only just gained a foot in height as it glowed, summoning a monster to the field as Katsuya announced his move. "Alrigh'! Here I go... First," he shouted, the monster he'd set now pulling itself out of the tablet and seas both to hover above the waters, "Th' Baby Dragon! An' now," he continued, the dragon giving a low growl as it flapped its wings, "Polymerization!" Now how would this work, he wondered idly...

...Ahh...

The tablet for the spell he'd set melted into the ground, turning into silt and sinking to the bottom of the sea in its activation. Beside him however, Alligator Sword was simply climbing onto the Baby Dragon, the beast having grown somewhat in size with the activation without so much as a warning. With a curt nod and a salute the Alligator signalled his readiness, signifying the completion of the 'fuse'. The result...

"Ta-daaaah! Alligator Sword Dragon!" And Kajiki knew what that meant...

"Gh-" He tensed, looking across the field with wide eyes as his opponent grinned. "A flying monster!" Hehehe... Damn straight!

"Yep... It'll fly right over yer old ocean," the blond bragged, shifting his stance in the water with slight difficulty. "Got anythin' t' say 'r do?" he 'asked' a somewhat dark grin in place as his opponent drew a card only to scowl. "Cause if y' don'," Katsuya continued with a laugh, "Then it's my turn! Th' Alligator attacks directly," he announced, his next card having been added to his hand as he logged the card's name in the back of his mind. Already his dragon was rising in the air, preparing to make a dive for its rider to launch an attack. "Go! GLIDE SWORD!"

The shout was mirrored by his monster as the Baby Dragon swooped toward Kajiki, the Alligator's blade slicing through the man with seemingly no effect. Even so the man appeared to stumble somewhat, as though being knocked back by a blunt force rather than a blade.

"HahaHA! Yeah! Th' sea's nothin' compared t' this!" he shouted, a wide grin in place as his monsters returned to the side. Sure it was uncomfortable but... Heh! "Thi' 's a piece 'f cake!"

"You..." Suddenly, Kajiki's expression had grown grave. His eyes had widened just momentarily, before narrowing with an almost mournful glare, rage emanating off the man to the extent that Katsuya's own grin faded instantaneously. For some reason he could hear the ocean at a far louder, inaccurate level than it was around them. Roaring waves, crashing down upon the seas...

And shouts, not that he could hear what they were saying.

But despite the dark skies and the sounds of absolute chaos, nothing was happening...

And then suddenly it had returned to normal, his opponent's glare just as cold and fierce as it had been before Katsuya heard those sounds. "Gh.. It's my turn!" the Okinawan raged, a pair of blank tablets appearing almost immediately as he set a pair of cards, the stones almost completely submerged beneath the waves. "Two cards," the man continued, eyes narrowing further. "See if you can guess what they are!" Guess-

Aw hell, he'd have at least been able to see if it was a monster if...

"And with that, I end my turn!" O-Oiii... Oi oi oi!

The only reason he couldn't see them was because of the water, which he could only see because...

Only he could see it! Aaaaugh!

Unless he was missing something here... And the field spell really did make this much water...

"Tch... Back t' me then!" he growled, drawing his next card. There was something there under the waters he noted, narrowing his eyes. But he couldn't see anything more than a shadow, something that could either be a living thing or simply a shadow of the tablet itself... Not a good feeling to say the least.

...But what was he worried about he told himself, swallowing back the unease with a nod. His monster could fly- he'd just take down whatever was out there!

"Tch... Whatever... Alligator Sword Dragon!" he ordered, the monsters both giving a curt nod as they took to the air to prepare for another strike. "Cross th' sea, and attack! Comin' from above," he continued, narrowing his eyes as he addressed his opponent, "There's no way you c'n d'fend usin' fish righ'?" And with that, he'd win...

But he somehow knew that wasn't the case right now, even as the monsters dove forward with the Alligator's blade at the ready. "Heheheh... Not so fast," Kajiki shouted, spirals of water launching from the seas to block the dragon's path. The torrents of water tore viciously at the monster's forms, razor-sharp spray slicing into their hides as they fled to tend to the shallow wounds. "Activate the trap card Tornado Wall!" G-

Shit! Waterspouts... The blond swallowed as his warrior gave a small 'thumbs up' from the air, returning as he rubbed his arm. They were fine. That was a relief really but now he was blocked on all fronts, land, air, and water! And since this was a permanent trap or so that weird 'sixth sense' was telling him...

"Crap... A bluff..." He'd been thinking of the strategy Kajiki used against Yugi damn it... Where he'd simply hid monsters and not traps. But with all that happened, he had nothing else to do! "Gh... Your turn then!" he snarled, opponent smirking in response.

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Go ahead and laugh... He'd get him back! "In that case, I play a single card and end my turn!" Kajiki said with a grin, another tablet appearing beneath the waves as his opponent narrowed his eyes. Damn it damn it _damn it_...

Two cards, either monsters or traps, and either way, he couldn't well do anything! Tch...

Given his chances Kajiki was probably gathering tributes too. He drew his card, looking it over before staring ahead with a swallow. The tornadoes had gone down but...

Well, if his gut had anything to say about it... "Perman'nt trap..."

" _That's what it is, that's for sure..._ " The blond blinked, turning somewhat as the Alligator Warrior crossed his arms in thought. " _If we attack_ ," he continued with a low growl, " _We'll be blocked yet again..._ " Tch... " _But... If we attack anyways,_ " the 'gator added with a grin, " _We'll still force the opponent into view... Gaining the right to counter-attack..._ "

Which would allow them to wear away at the life points... Well.

In that case... "I attack!" Katsuya growled, an audible gasp coming from Anzu at the side. Yeah, yeah... Not the best idea, he knew but...

Better to try he thought, watching as the dragon and its rider dove towards the seas to pull back at the last minute to avoid the waterspouts that arose from the waters.

"Heh! Are you an idiot," Kajiki asked, the flurry of tornadoes briefly blocking the dragon's attack yet again before sinking beneath the ocean. "This trap is permanent!" he shouted with a laugh, "You can't attack!" And again, he knew! There wasn't really much he could do about that...

But to hell if he was sitting back and waiting for his monsters to di-

" _G-Lk_!" Katsuya paled, turning as a single pair of spears skewered through both the Alligator and the Baby Dragon's necks. Blood had splattered from the ends of the spears, spraying their summoner across the face... Their cries were cut short however, becoming strangled as they plummeted into the seas beside him with a mighty crash.

And as the water ran red their bodies vanished into dust along with their barely visible tablets as the remains sank to the bottom as disappearing silt. "What... What..." The blond turned back toward the seas, swallowing as the blood drained from his face. "But where... Where th' hell did those come from," he asked partially to himself, "I w's watchin' th' entire time..!" Watching for the monster, waiting...

And still... Still there'd been an attack...

Across from him Kajiki was merely smirking, happily taking advantage of the fact that he didn't need to announce an attack or even a rebounded strike from his unseen monster. This...

This really wasn't good... "Shit..." He was fighting something hidden below the seas after all! The blond grabbed a card from his hand, setting it on the field and watching as a small glow came from the submerged tablet that appeared as a result. He couldn't summon a monster in attack mode after his battle phase but... "I'll set an'ther card face down an' end my turn!" he shouted, biting his lip and glancing at his defensive 'Little Winguard'. Hell his tablet was so short he couldn't even see the top of it... Shit...

Just... Shit...

"Hahahahaha...! And that means its my turn!" his opponent shouted, the whale in the tank beside them giving another 'obligatory jump'. The sound of rushing water met his ears, a harpoon flying from some unknown location in the air before running through the water. The tablet was destroyed. He didn't need to see it to realize that, but... "Jonouchi..." The blond grit his teeth, swallowing as he looked back up from the field. "This is the terror of the sea!" Kajiki roared at his opponent, the teen merely narrowing his eyes at the waters around him in a frantic search. Where... He knew something was here but where... "Do you still think that the sea is 'not so tough', as you say?" the man before him was continuing to 'ask', tone clearly laced with aggravation as Katsuya clenched his jaw. Shut up, just...

Just shut up and let him think for once damn it!

"It's still my turn," Kajiki said with a grin, another barely visible tablet appearing beneath the seas to his opponent's distaste. "And I'll play yet another card!" he continued, laughing as Katsuya's face continued to fall. "Then I end my turn!" Shit...

He had to be preparing for something damn it. But all this water was so high it was past the waist-high top of the water tank wall! The only thing telling him where the arena limit ended was the killer whale that kept jumping around, and even then whenever something really big was summoned it ended up going past the limit anyways!

"Rggh..." He drew his next card, setting it on the disk without looking at what he'd ended up with once again as the tablet appeared to his side beneath the waves. "I play a face down card," he shouted, grabbing another card and setting it on the disk as its corresponding tablet arose from the ground, "An' anoth'r monster in d'fense mode!" And another tablet he couldn't see under the waves... Rocket Warrior. If not for everything else, he'd have been great for dealing damage but...

Well until he knew what was attacking he needed to play it safe. Damn it, if he could just do something else-

"Battening down the hatches ah, Jonouchi..?" Kajiki chuckled from across the blond, Katsuya merely grumbling under his breath. Yeah, yeah, and what the hell did that even mean- "Well get ready! Using these two monsters," he shouted, two of the barely hidden tablets 'melting' into the sea as the waves converged behind the duelist, "I call forth the ultimate sea beast! The monster of the seas... And there she blows!" Kajiki roared, a tablet rising tall behind the man as an enormous shadow appeared to rise from the waters below. "THE FORTRESS WHALE!"

With a massive swell of waters the monster appeared, a loud and low moan shaking through the air as two fins splashed against the ground and waters, passing through the people at the side without anyone being the wiser. Like the unseen lovechild of a narwhal and a blue whale the monster floated, tail slapping against the waters that just barely touched its chin. Holy...

Shit.

The monster took up the entire field easily, massive girth somehow managing to curl around its summoner. "W-Wha'..." Alright.

That was it damn it.

"WHERE TH' HELL DID THAT THING COME FROM!" Who cared about tablets and crap, this was a whale the size of the aquarium! In waist deep water!

...Okay, nipple deep, but seriously, what the hell! He hated keeping this crap bottled in his lungs, if they thought he was crazy then fine! This.

Wasn't.

NORMAL.

And yet no one else seemed to think that, as apparently the hologram was as big or almost as big as the real-life version he saw now.

Big enough for his reaction to be typical at least. "Hahahahaha! That's right!" Kajiki was howling with a laugh, ignoring the incredulous shouts and stares from his opponent. "The biggest fish in the seas... Powered up by the Umi field spell at that!"

Awwww fuck! This thing wasn't even a fish damn it, it was some kind of mutant whale, and...

And... The blond stared, watching as the whale 'flapped' its stubby fins before rising high above in the air and casting a shadow around them. Waves of water splashed against the blond as he held his deck above the water, before staring at the beast with incredulous eyes as it gave another low moan and continued to slowly flap its wings. The great whale was now at least twenty feet above them in the air, staring down with a fortress armed with turrets on its back and...

...Seriously... What.

The fuck. "It can FLY?" he shouted, grabbing his head with his free hand before looking back at Kajiki. "Your monster's a FLYING whale?!"

Kajiki evidently chose to ignore that shout, merely grinning darkly as his opponent continued to stare. "Jonouchi... With all your warriors and beast warriors, monsters of the land..." The man shook his head, chuckling under his breath as he went on. "They won't stand a chance when my great Fortress Whale launches his attack from above! Let this be a lesson... Don't you take the power of the sea lightly! I can never forgive those who do!" Okay!

Okay damn it, if it meant avoiding an impending belly-flop then!

...Wow... This... ...This was a pretty sore point for him, why the hell was-

The blond paled, swallowing as the waters appeared to again converge and swirl in a rough and storming fashion. He...

...He could hear screams again...

"I know first hand the dangers of the ocean," Kajiki muttered, looking toward Katsuya with hate filled eyes. "We fishermen cary the scars from our battles with the sea all our lives... Just as my father before me!" Before..! But...

That would mean... The blond blinked, staring in silence as he rolled the words around in his mind. "But you said... Y' said you were gonna save up f'r a boat t' sail w'th 'm," Katsuya muttered, shaking his head. "Yer dad's alive, you said you were... Were..."

"...A long time ago," the man before him muttered lowly, appearing to space out to a small extent, "...My dad and I lost a battle with the sea... For us," he continued with a swallow, "Losing your boat is like losing your life. Thanks to our boat being destroyed, he would have to take the boats of others on days where those fishermen deemed the ocean too rough to sail upon, so that he could make even a small catch... And that's how I lost him," he said quietly, head bowed in grief as the sounds of a storming sea continued to fill his opponent's mind. "So do you understand? The powers of the ocean?" he asked almost pitifully before his voice again raised to a dangerous snarl. "I'll teach you... I'll teach you to fear it, to respect it!" he roared, fists clenched tightly as he again glared at his opponent. Would he now...

...What was with all the secrets? "...Kajiki," Katsuya muttered, narrowing his eyes as he steeled himself. "Yer a proud duelist," he said calmly, "An' I r'spect y' for it..." Hell, if he'd known about his dad before... Well, he probably wouldn't have made that 'ocean' comment, that was for sure. "But so long as I'm alive," he growled, fists clenched as the waters around them continued to rage, "I ain't givin' up!"

"Then just you try and stand up to the ocean!" Kajiki roared, pointing his monster 'forward' as the whale above him moaned. "It's still my turn... And I attack! And if you think your single defense monster is enough to save you," he continued with a dark grin, the turrets on his whale's back giving a loud 'whirr' as they spun toward the blond below, "You can think again!" Gh-!

Without even looking he knew what Kajiki had meant by that, the top of his defense monster's tablet sinking into the sea yet again as a spear appeared seemingly from nowhere. Another attack...

But from where! All he'd seen was that killer whale jumping around again! That thing was getting in the way! "Hehehe... Brace yourself!" Kajiki roared, the turrets on Fortress Whale's back now turning on the 'aim-assist' lasers as they honed in on the defenseless blond.

Oh hell no. There was no room for emotions on Katsuya's face as he stared upward, the whale appearing to leer at him as his face went white.

Hell no. "H-Hah..."

"Aim... And fire the cannons!" Kajiki roared, motioning for the strike. "WHALE BOMBARD!"

The sound of multiple cannon shots tore through the air with those words, the reaction almost imminent. Solid steel rounds charged toward the blond, striking the waters around him as spouts of water struck him from each one. Miss... Miss... He couldn't see a thing past this water, where was-

"G _HRAAAACK_!"

Hit.

Water surrounded Katsuya as he was blown back, 'stumbling' back in slow motion as he fell toward the ground. The small but exceedingly painful cannon ball rolled off his stomach as he sank beneath the waves, choking under the waters as he painfully opened his eyes to squint upward. Ow... Ow... O-

Oh shit.

"Mnnbl!" Shit, AIR!

He pulled himself above the water, doubling over in a cough as he looked at his deck and straightened himself. Aaaaaahhhh crap... The water, had it ruined the...

...Cards...

Katsuya blinked, looking at the deck on his wrist. ...It hadn't. The deck was still dry, in the same condition it had been before the attack. And...

And he also only had three hundred life points left he noted with a wince, which was both more and less jarring than the extremely painful and sensitive bruise on his stomach. The bruise that had him barely holding back his ramen lunch as a result. And as for his resolve...

A mix of promises and general hate were keeping the blond on his legs in addition to the 'support' of the water, along with the look on his opponent's face. An almost sneering grin, effectively conveying one single message...

'I win', he was saying, despite Katsuya being unable to hear him thanks to the water in his ears. Win...

To hell he did! And yet the thoughts of the crowd were agreeing with the statement just as clearly, only barely drowned out by Anzu's own shouts. ' _Don't give up_ ,' she was calling, the blond opting to listen to his friend's shouts rather than the crowd's. ' _You've just got to win this one duel and you'll be in the finals with Yugi,_ ' the woman continued encouragingly, ' _So keep at it!_ ' He was, he was damn it!

If the crowd would just shut up and-

" _Stop jumping so high damn it..._ " E...

Eh? Katsuya blinked, aggravated expression fading as he looked toward the tank where the Killer Whale was jumping. Someone said something but...

The only thing jumping was the wh-

A second whale joined the first in the flips, the blond shaking himself. Okay. Just two whales then and-

Wait, two? Didn't the aquarium only have one?

"...Heh..."

The second whale jumped through the air once more, a flash of dark skin visible on the side as Katsuya stared. There... He was right there! A small smirk came over his face, quickly vanishing as he turned back. Heh...

Found him. And looking back at Kajiki with narrowed eyes, he watched as the Okinawan crossed his arms impatiently, frowning. "Hey hey... What are you waiting for Jonouchi? It's your turn!" he shouted, "Hurry up and play a card! Did you give up?" the man asked, a smirk on his face as his opponent held silent. "Did your spirit from before vanish? Those strong eyes I saw before... They're nothing but the eyes of a dead fish now! What happened to the eyes I saw when you came here, into my territory, challenging me so readily to a duel?" he called out, the smirk vanishing somewhat into an odd, seemingly angered grin. His territory? Hn!

It might have been his territory Katsuya muttered mentally, but he still had an idea of how to deal with that now! "Tch... I'm still fightin'!" he growled, drawing his card and mentally nodding to himself. Just what he needed This was exactly what he needed! And in his hand, another spell, Panther warrior, and on the field was his face down...

Alright. "Here I go!" he shouted, a plan coming to mind. "Two more cards face down," the blond announced, the two tablets appearing somewhat in view below the continually raging seas. "An' then... Th' Panther Warrior!" he called out as a third, much taller tablet appeared at his side, "In attack mode!"

The third tablet to appear initially glowed as the image of its monster carved away on its form, before bubbles streamed from beneath it rather than the familiar smoke. Without any other warning than that, the Panther pulled itself above the water, shaking the salt water from its fur and looking at Katsuya with a frown. " _Water_?" he asked with a growl, coming to his full height beside his summoner, " _Really_?"

"Tch... C'mon," he hissed under his breath, again pretending to go over his hand, "Ain't panthers' s'pposed to like water?"

Evidently this was the wrong thing to say, as suddenly the Panther was looking a lot more peeved than he tended to look throughout the day. " _You... Those are jaguars_!" he roared, baring his teeth with a snarl. " _I'M A LEOPARD!_ "

"Gh- How th' hell was I s'pposed t' kno-"

" _If you were looking, I have bigger spots! It's an obvious fact!_ "

"'Xceptin' that yer a black panther," he muttered under his breath, the warrior's fur bristling at the comment.

" _If you were LOOKING-_ "

The conversation was cut short as the two looked toward their opponent, watching as the man howled with laughter. What the hell was he laughing at, he couldn't hear what they were saying...

"HAHAHAHA! Jonouchi... That's just another Beast-Warrior!" Kajiki howled, shaking his head as he laughed. "A monster that can't swim or fly- just another target! For a last stand," the man continued, holding his head. "That's more than pathetic! That's just... HaHAAA!" Alright! Alright he got it! "Now..." Kajiki drew his next card as it came to his turn, calming himself as he continued. "This is the end!" he shouted, narrowing his eyes as he set a card on the disk. "First, Sea Snake in defense mode," Kajiki announced, another ocean buried tablet coming to the field before the serpent's eyes and nose poked above the water with a leer. "And then I'll attack... First by stealth, and then by whale! GO!" he shouted, his opponent crossing his arms. And...

Now. The blond's eyes darted to the side, watching the 'two' whales as they swam. Side by side they were swimming in the tank, before taking turns to leap up into the air. Real one... Real one again... And...

...Now! "Activate th' face down card!" he announced, the familiar claw-like trap arm launching from the waters as the next whale leaped out of the water. The claws opened wide as the fisherman on the whale's back turned, the spear in his hands falling to the waters in shock. Hah! "Magic Arm Shield! Hide an' seek's over Kajiki!" he shouted, directing the 'arm' toward the whale and the fisherman that rode it. Huh...

Now that he was watching it launch out and grab the man and whale both, it looked kinda like...

...Kajiki...

...That was weird.

He shook it off, smirk renewing as the whale above them moaned. "I got your monster now... An' now y'r whale can take 'm instead!" With those very words the trap arm jerked to the side, turning the captured fisherman toward the Fortress Whale's line of sight. The monster looked down as the shield arm moved, bleary eyes only seeing smudges as it took aim with the many turrets on its back. " _Gh..._ " The Fisherman paled, pulling at his leg as he looked from the trap to the cannons as the echoing 'boom' sounded through the air. " _No!_ "

And as the shout sounded through the air each and every cannon ball struck, the shield arm dropping after the first strike as the rounds of steel lowered their aim to follow a now sinking body. It was a bloodless kill thankfully, but nonetheless just as jarring.

As the fisherman sank to the bottom of the seas, the whale above seemed to realize its mistake and 'sing' in a mournful call, its summoner as well paling as the body vanished. "My... My fisherman..." Shock quickly turned to horror, the man clenching his jaw as he looked across the field in rage filled desperation. "You..." Kajiki shook his head, eyes wide. "You can't say that your Panther Warrior wasn't caught in the line of fire as well! Fortress Whale attacks all monsters at once!" he continued angrily, "There's no way-" No way it missed?

Yeah well it did. And besides... "Y' sure abou' that?" Katsuya asked, his Panther Warrior spinning the chain that had also appeared beneath the seas. He looked decidedly ticked about having to dive for the weapon, but as he tossed the boomerang-shaped kunai upward to catch around the Fortress Whale's 'tooth' he seemed to get over it. "Take a look at this! My other trap card... Kunai with Chain! And while he's scalin' your whale," he continued, watching as the Panther Warrior swung himself up and used his blade as a hold in the monster's massive hide, "I'll activate my next spell!"

"Your next..." Blood continued to drain from his opponent's face, the Okinawan swallowing nervously. "I... I don't believe you!" Kajiki muttered incredulously, shaking his head and gesturing to the field, "You're challenging the Fortress Whale... With this?"

"What c'n I say," the blond said with a shrug, "I'm a man on a mission... An' not e'vn th' biggest monster in th' ocean's gonna stop me!" Probably wasn't even the biggest, but who knew... "My monster might not be able t' fly like yer whale," he continued, narrowing his eyes with a grin as the Panther continued to climb, "But now that he's on th' monster's back, we're on th' same level..."

" _Yeah,_ " the Panther muttered dryly, watching as the whale's cannon turrets all turned toward him, " _Now I'm on the front lines..._ " Shut up!

"But... The Whale is still stronger," Kajiki protested, the Panther meanwhile making a motion that said 'He's right!' from there. "If anything, you're in more danger now!"

"He has a point!" Anzu was shouting from the side, her friend merely holding his smirk. "Jonouchi," she continued with a frown, "If you attack, you'll just put yourself in more trouble!"

"Y' think so?" Kajiki paled at those words, Katsuya merely waving his hand to activate his final spell like he'd said. The tablet vanished beneath the seas, a slight glow appearing at his sides. "Panther Warrior... Y' know what t' do!"

The cat nodded, pulling his blade out from the side before charging the fortress portion and ramming his sword into mixed metal and flesh as far as he could, chain in his hands wrapping around the hilt before he stepped back and nodded. The whale obviously didn't much appreciate that. The horn- tooth, really- poking through its upper lip began to spin viciously as the monster made its descent from the beast, shaking the Panther off his back as the monster yowled.

" _Gh-!_ " PantherBubbles rose from the waters as the monster fell under, his summoner swallowing nervously. Please don't let that count as an attack, please don't- " _Bluh! Plah!_ " Yes! The cat pulled himself above the waters, spitting out a mouthful of salt and spray before again shaking himself and glaring at his summoner. " _The next time you summon me there better not be a droplet in sight!_ " he roared, Katsuya merely laughing somewhat under his breath. Oi oi...

What was it with cats...

And anyways. Continuing his move... "R'member that spell I mentioned?" the blond shouted, giving his warrior a look as it scowled. Yeah, yeah, sorry but... Swords sunk, alright? And now wasn't the time!

The monster dove under, moments passing before the monster reappeared with blade gripped in its teeth as it surfaced. Again the monster shook the sea water from his fur, before holding the blade high above the waves with a nod. Telling Kajiki to take a look at the whale would be pointless he supposed but...

"Hehehe..." Thank you Science class, for giving him this insane idea. "Take a look at this!" the blond shouted with a grin, gesturing loosely toward the whale. "Righ' now, Panther Warrior has 2500 attack points. Just a little below your whale's 2550... But wi' th' spell Lightnin' blade!"

"G-Gh..." Kajiki swallowed, quickly adding the extra 800 points to the count. "3350..!" Hehehe...

"Yep... An' wi' that," he continued, the Panther Warrior's new sword sending a line of electricity toward his old, lightning rod-acting blade jammed into the monster's hide, "Th' Fortress Whale goes down!" And thanks to the chain that so surrounded the beast... "Hehehe... Thanks t' th' Electric attack it does double th' damage!" he continued, watching as the lightning danced along the chain and sword wrapped about the monster. The whale above lit up like a bloated, fat christmas tree, smoke emitting from its blow hole and mouth as it plummeted into the sea. The tablet bearing his image melted into the waters as the whale sank, body disappearing along with it as Katsuya stared.

Somehow, this seemed to make the 'hotdog-electrocution' experiment in class a lot more morbid... But hey! The whale was gone. And more importantly, he thought with a smirk...

"By th' way... That 'lectric attack applies t' yer Sea Serpent too," the blond shouted, the snake in question suffering under the weight of the whale that had crushed it. Something just told him that Kajiki hadn't seen that.

But given that the snake wasn't coming back up, and the tablet just melted, he'd say they were done.

" _Hn_!" The Panther Warrior snatched the chain boomerang as it returned to him from the whale's dead form, sheathing the Lightning blade and pulling back his own familiar sword from the other end of the chain. " _Much better_ ," he muttered, large grin on his face as he twirled the blade. Oh come on, they were close enough!

Though he should probably be watching for his opponent's next move now... "You..." The blond blinked as Kajiki's mutterings came over the air, listening as the Okinawan continued. "You held off on activating that card so you wouldn't electrocute yourself, didn't you," Kajiki muttered as he over came his shock, Katsuya holding silent. Actually, Panther Warrior just got shaken off...hell, Panther was in the water right along with him!

Though he supposed he should have thought of that before taking that risk in the first place. As to what he would do now...

"...It's my turn now," the man continued, drawing a card and staring at it for a moment before setting it on the disk. "...I'll play this spell card and end my turn." Spell-

Katsuya swallowed, gritting his teeth as the waves revealed no change to the field. Stupid water, he couldn't see what it was! But as another tablet appeared beneath the waters he had to scowl, narrowing his eyes. Shit... He'd summoned something. And even with Panther Warrior's current power, rushing in would be a bad idea. Hell for all he knew it wasn't even a monster! But something told him that his next card...

"Heh! Here goes!" Katsuya shouted, drawing his card with a smirk. Hadn't even drawn and he'd known... For once, this 'flash' thing was coming in handy! "It's my turn!"

Kajiki nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Bring it on! But remember," he continued threateningly, "With the Kunai's initial attack used, you can't cross the seas any more... So you won't be attacking!"

That what he thought? Hah! "Wrong! Th' Panther Warrior's gonna attack this turn..." Kajiki narrowed his eyes at the boast, the Panther Warrior merely eying the water before looking at his summoner in distaste. "But first," the blond continued with a slight cough, ducking the glare and setting his card on the disk as an unseen tablet came on the field, "I'll play this! GIANT TRUNADE!"

A vicious wind developed in the sky, the Panther Warrior ducking as his equipment was swept away by the gale, ripped from his clawed hands as he shook the sting off. The wind continued to converge as it blustered, Katsuya's hair whipping around his face as a head appeared to arise from within the circling winds above. Spinning, spinning... Swirling above into an enormous funnel, pulling the seawater up from the field in an act that lasted mere seconds, leaving the tank to the side untouched. "Heh... My equipment spells might be gone now," he muttered, Panther still rubbing his hands from the chain burn he'd received, "But so are all your spells... An' that includes Umi! This storm takes in even th' seas! Now," Katsuya shouted, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the field, "Lets see what monster y'..."

...Wait what...

" _Tch... Beached..._ " A tanned man with matted black hair and numerous scars met his gaze, low mutterings easily meeting Katsuya's ears. It was the Legendary Fisherman. He was sitting along side his now beached Killer Whale, spear on the ground... " _You need water,_ " he muttered, the whale merely appearing to wince under the searing sun above. This monster...

The Panther Warrior held his blade to the Fisherman's throat, the man standing up with a swallow as he was brought to the cat's mercy.

" _...Take him first,_ " he asked, gesturing to the whale at the side, swallowing as he met the panther's gaze. " _...He's in pain..._ "

The Panther stared, looking at the whale with an unseen expression before bowing his head. " _...Alright._ " With a swift cut the whale was struck through the head by the warrior's blade, the monster appearing to smoke away along with its owner in an instant.

" _Thank-you,_ " the whale's owner whispered, the Panther nodding as he as well began to vanish. The Fisherman was gone, and he'd won...

But as the remaining monsters and tablets on field vanished to nothingness, the sky clearing to the bright and nearly blinding state it had been prior...

"...Why..." He shook his head, monsters on the field staring before they too vanished from sight completely. "Why did you..."

Kajiki's expression was pained, tightly drawn as he bowed his head, Katsuya standing in place as his water-logged clothing stuck to his skin. "This card," he muttered with a choke, shaking his head. "...It's the only one I don't want to see dead. The only one..."

"...Kajiki..." The blond walked over, water making thick sloshing noises from inside his shoes as the salt water dripped off his hair. Wet, completely wet...

And to bring back that card...

"You..."

"...You win," the man muttered, his cards returned from the grave to his deck as he pulled a locator card from his shorts pocket. He held it forward, along with the Fortress Whale his grave had spat out, swallowing. "You did it," he continued, attempting to lace his voice with cheer. "...You..." Yeah he won...

But he didn't feel happy at all. More over... "Kajiki," he muttered, not taking the cards from the man's hand, "That last move..."

The Okinawan stared, somehow forcing a grin on his face as he shrugged. "Heh! You... You did good Jonouchi! I guess you're not so bad after all," he continued, weak laughter sounding forced as he trailed off. "Ahahaha! Haha... Hah..."

He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he looked at the man. "Now hold on a sec..! If you had a card t' bring back th' Fisherman, why didn't you use it t' bring back th' Whale?" he asked, pointing to the card in the Okinawan's hand. "You wouldn't have lost if you did that!" he continued with a snarl, "So why?"

"It doesn't matter," Kajiki said with a shrug, setting the rest of his deck carefully in his pocket as his duel disk folded back up. "All that matters is that you won; you got me... Isn't that enough for you?"

No it wasn't! "Don't ev'n say that," he growled, roughly pulling the cards from his own disk as it reset itself, "We're both duelists... An' if you threw that game over a dead whale," the blond continued dangerously, "I wan' a rematch!"

Silence sat over the air at that, even the crowd gaining a hush in response. "...Jonouchi," Kajiki muttered, still holding the ante in his hand, "That card I brought back was my trump card, and you beat it. I didn't want to prolong the duel after that... Because this card," he continued, Katsuya listening with mild confusion. "...This card is the very soul of my deck..." The man pulled out the last card on his disk as he said this, looking at it wistfully as the fisherman from the card in question appeared behind him. "...I've been fighting alongside this card for a long time," Kajiki muttered as he held the card, "Me and this sea deck... Fighting and winning with this fisherman that so resembles him..."

Heh? "Him?" Katsuya muttered, frowning somewhat as the spirit behind his former opponent nodded.

" _My son,_ " he stated calmly, voice echoing as the young man before him spoke at the same moment.

"My dad..." His dad. Woah...

Woah woah _wait-_

What did that monster just say?

Katsuya swallowed, eyes widening briefly as Kajiki continued, unaware of the attention Katsuya was paying to the 'space' behind him. "...When I got this card," Kajiki stated quietly, "I told myself, I would always use this card to finish a match, to catch the end of a duel. Just like how my Dad and I would fight the waves on the sea," the man continued, swallowing as he stared at the card. "And I... I believe he's still out there," he went on, shaking as he looked up at the sky and continued to choke. Tears were running down his face as he held his card close, unable to hear or feel the man behind him as the fisherman laid a hand on his 'son's shoulder in comfort. "I believe he's somewhere out there, on the seas... That's why... That's why I couldn't leave this card in the graveyard," he wept, again bowing his head as he shook. "Even if it meant I lost..." ...Kajiki...

Katsuya stared, holding silent before a third voice took his attention. " _...Perhaps it's time you moved on_ ," the Fisherman was whispering behind his 'summoner', comforting hand on the Okinawan's shoulder as Kajiki rubbed his eyes. " _...Go home, Ryota,_ " he continued, rubbing his 'son's shoulders with a smile. " _Catch your own fish... You're a man now..._ " That was all great but...

Didn't this guy know he couldn't hear him?

"...I'm acting pretty silly huh?" Kajiki said with a laugh, plastering another grin on his face as the Fisherman stopped talking. "Crying like this, acting like this... And I call myself a duelist?" The man shook his head, laughing weakly as he looked back at Katsuya. "The point of this... It's winning no matter what right?" he asked, the weak smile faltering as he held his cards. "Hahahaha..."

Katsuya shook his head, expression somewhat sympathetic as he looked at his former opponent. "Naw," he muttered, nodding as he stared at the 'two' before him. "Th' point is fightin' f'r what matters th' most," he said plainly. Kajiki blinked, looking at the blond as Katsuya continued with a small smirk. "If I were you... I'd 'v done th' same thing, got that?"

The man stared, before an honest smile came over him. "I see... Well... As agreed," he stated calmly, holding out the two cards he'd been holding in his other hand, "The Fortress Whale, and your last Locator Card... In addition," he continued, handing the card in his other hand forward as his former opponent took the first two, "This..." Th-

The Legendary Fisherman..?

"In Battle City," Kajiki explained, "The rule is for the loser to give his most important card to the one who defeated him... It's not rare," he continued with a slight shrug, "Not to the card rulings... But to me, it's the most important card I own. And that means it's yours now Jonouchi," the man stated plainly, still holding the card out for his former opponent. His..!

Katsuya jumped, looking from the card to the man who had come from inside it as the Fisherman also blinked. "H-Hey," he muttered, shaking his head, "I can't do that! It means too much to you, I-"

" _...Ryota,_ " the Fisherman muttered, staring at his summoner with a confused frown.

Kajiki shook his head at Katsuya's words, still holding the card out for the blond. "No... I realized something, while we were fighting," he said with a sad smile, the expression appearing somewhat wry as he continued. "My Dad might be lost to the seas, but if he was here with me, he'd be telling me... 'A card is just a card Ryota! You're relying too much on a card that looks like me... What you should really believe in...”

" _Is your own heart_ ," the Fisherman muttered under his breath, words mirroring his 'son's as he spoke. The Legendary Fisherman smiled with the same sad, wry expression Kajiki held, shaking his head as Katsuya momentarily looked at the man. The spirit's words and those of his 'son' were almost identical... From start to finish. " _...Even when I'm not there Ryota, I will always fight by your side_ ," he whispered, fading into the card as Katsuya nodded to himself. " _Remember that..._ " Alright...

If the monster was alright with it, and Kajiki was insisting... "Alrigh'," Katsuya said with a nod, taking the card and adding it to his deck with the others as he smiled. "You've convinced me... I'll take it!"

"Hah!" Kajiki grinned at that, cheer from before the duel quickly renewed as he laughed. "Haha!Alright! But next time," he shouted, clapping the blond's hand in his own with an iron grip, "I'll win, you got that?"

"Heh! You can try!" he responded with a snort, "But by then, I'll be stronger too, y' got that?" Cheers were surrounding the arena as they spoke, along with conversational mutterings as what looked to be aquarium staff moved toward the tank. Katsuya released the grip he'd held with Kajiki, waving as he moved to join Anzu. "I'll see yah some other time alrigh'?" he shouted, Kajiki nodding with a grin. "I hope y' get that boat!"

"Hahaha! And I wish you luck in the finals!" the Okinawan shouted in response, moving as the staff brushed behind him. "Alright?" Heh...

Alright. "Jonouchi!" a familiar voice shouted, the blond turning as Anzu ran over from the side. Katsuya continued to grin, laughing somewhat as he and Anzu both made their way back into the Aquarium building to leave. "Hah... Congratulations!" she said cheerfully, pushing the main door open for her friend, "You-" She frowned, looking down at the blond's shoes before following the 'water trail' up to his head and hair. "...You're... All... Wet..."

The blond swallowed, looking over himself momentarily before laughing nervously. "Hahahaha..." Ehhh... "Y-Yeaaah... Hahaha... It was jus' th' whale in th' tank," he said with a cough, stowing the locator card he'd received in his pocket. "Nothin' big," he continued, grinning. "A little uncomfortable but..." But please buy it...

"If you say so," she said with a shrug, a scowl coming over her as she sniffed at the air. "Ughh... You smell like fish," she muttered, coughing as she waved a hand over her face. "Oh my god... Augh..."

"Oi oi..." It wasn't that bad! Katsuya scowled as the pair walked out into the sun again, before tensing as an odd feeling came over him. A strong wind blew past, the blond stopping in his tracks as the scowl lightened to a more confused frown. What...

What was... He turned, looking toward the square in front of the aquarium with wide eyes. Someone... Someone was here but...

His eyes widened further as two figures caught his eye, one a dark skinned, blond haired foreigner and the other the semi-conscious form of the very friend they'd opted to wait for until after the duel. And it would probably be good to notice that his arm was bandaged in a rag, and that there was blood dripping off his fingers. "B...Bakura!"

_'Hang in there,_ ' the tanned one was saying with a thick accent, stumbling somewhat over his words as he attempted to support the albino. ' _Are you alright?_ ' he asked, ' _I'll look for a phone...'_

"B-Bakura..." Anzu and Katsuya both ran over, eyes wide as the foreign teen looked up. "What... What happened?" the woman muttered with eyes wide, "Who are you?" she asked, shaking her head. The woman quickly pulled her purse around, digging for the phone she'd checked earlier as she held up a hand. "...You know what," she said quickly, "Don't answer, I'll call an ambulance..." Yeah that was probably a good idea given that he was bleeding through whatever rag had been used to tie off his arm...

Which wasn't tied too well either! The two teens before them fell to their knees, Katsuya attempting to help Bakura into a sitting position as Anzu moved to make the call. "Let 'm sit," he muttered to the foreigner, the tanned teen blinking as Katsuya continued. "Let 'm sit down, calm 'm down t' slow th' bleeding," he muttered, swallowing as he attempted to steady his friend. Thank-you mandatory first aid classes... And here he'd wondered when he'd be using all the stuff they made him learn for the security shift.

...And while they were dealing with that...

The blond frowned, putting some pressure on the 'bandage' around Bakura's arms. "You... What th' hell happened to 'm?" Katsuya growled, turning on the stranger with narrowed eyes. Something was not right about this at all... He could feel the ring underneath Bakura's shirt, but skewered hands on a Monster World table aside there was no way the 'other Bakura' would just sit around if he was being attacked!

Not to mention that he didn't remember any duel monsters that looked like floating flames! "You... Are you his friends?" the teen was asking hesitantly, looking to the others in apparent confusion. "I found him collapsed a little ways down the road," he continued with a swallow, "And I helped as best I could, but I don't know the number for the hospital..." And...

This accent combined with broken Japanese was hurting his head... Yeah. This guy was no help.

"G...Gnhh..." Ah-! Katsuya jumped, quickly grabbing his friend's shoulders as Bakura began moving, and watching as the albino weakly opened his eyes. "Bakura... Bakura," he muttered as the teen slowly looked up at the blond, "C'mon man, listen t' me... Y' need t' tell me who did this to you alright?" he asked, his friend blinking blearily as he shook. "Who did this?"

"I... J-Jonouchi-kun..." The albino swallowed, breathing nervously as he looked at the blond. "I don't know," Bakura cried, shaking his head. "I don't... All I remember is waking up this morning, I don't remember anything else!" Nothing...

Nothing at all? ...Well, in any case, he should probably...

Calm down or... "HEY! There he is!" Katsuya turned, narrowing his eyes as a pair of thugs moved toward them from the side street. "Hey PUNK!" the taller shouted, looking toward Bakura as the others frowned. "Where the hell do you get off, stealing my friend's disk?" Stealing?

...Bakura?

Bakura looked down at his arm with that comment, the others frowning as well while Anzu looked back from her completed phone call. "Duel disk... But I..." He shook his head, the others staring as the albino coughed. "I don't remember..." Ohhh shit...

"Like hell you don't," the second man growled, charging as the foreign teen moved to 'shield' the others. "How about we knock the memory back into you then!"

"This isn't the time," the teen shouted in broken Japanese, gesturing to the two behind him. "He's hurt, he- NH!" Katsuya turned as the unknown teen fell back, having been right up close to the angered duelist's right hook. "Nggh..."

"H-Hey!" The foreign teen groaned, rubbing his cheek as Katsuya jumped. "Nameless-guy..!" The blond tensed, watching as Anzu moved to help both him and Bakura before moving forward and cracking his knuckles. Suspicious characters or no, these two were just... "Tch... Alright y' asshats... How abou' you deal wi' me!"

The two stared, trading glances and shrugs. "Eh?"

"Well," the second decided, "If it gets us to- GOH-!"

Stop talking.

The first hit was a solid kick to the first guy's gut, the second momentarily frozen in shock as Katsuya moved. Then while he doubled over, a returning blow to the man's back to send him down, groaning on the ground... And as the next guy moved forward with his fists...

Duck, grab arm, toss, he thought to himself, ignoring the water that flew in his eyes from his hair as he did just that. "HAH!"

There was a loud 'thud' as the man landed to the ground, rubbing his wrists where Katsuya had grabbed him. "Ung!"

"Owww," the first muttered, rolling over onto his back. "Aughh..."

"Yeah... An' there's more if y' plan on standin' up!" Katsuya shouted with a grin, moving back to the others and shaking his head. Well that went quick enough... He turned momentarily as sirens sounded in the distance, before moving back to Bakura and biting his lip. "Hey... Hang in there alrigh'?" he muttered, the albino nodding weakly as his friend again put pressure on the wound across his arm. Lots of blood...

Lots and lots of blood... The four remained largely silent until the ambulance came after that, answering what questions were needed as Bakura was taken away. Names, what happened (which no one knew)... Relatives, contact...

Who the two on the ground were... (They refused paramedic assistance)

The foreign kid, who when asked by the Paramedics for a name had said 'Namu', was now just rubbing his cheek, staring at the ground as the others turned to him. "So... 'Namu'?" Anzu asked as the ambulance drove off, the teen nodding somewhat hesitantly as she bit her lip. "...Right," she said quietly, nodding somewhat as her friend gave a narrowed stare toward the small 'flame' sitting on the teen's shoulder. "Listen... I'm sorry you had to deal with all this, I mean..."

"No, it's fine," Namu said with a nod, wringing his hands somewhat as he coughed. The 'spirit' on his shoulder also 'nodded', a single eye staring forward as Katsuya held back a growl. Definitely fine...

He seemed fine, looked fine... That punch barely left a mark on him, and... There was a lot here that was not fi-

The blond blinked, looking at the teen's arm as he attempted to hide his frown. "Eh... Yer a duelist?" he asked, watching as 'Namu' nodded and held his arm up.

"Yes! But... I'm not very good," he said with a cough, lowering his arm again as he laughed. "So please, don't ask me to duel you, ahahaha..." Sheesh, worse than Bakura!

...And yet something seemed so damn off about this guy! He pushed that back for the sake of conversation, forcing a grin on his face. "Heh! Sorry t' tell yah this," he bragged, "But I already qualified for th' finals!"

"Ah, really?" Namu asked, blinking as the spirit on its shoulder stared. Ehhhh that thing was creeping him out... "You must be really strong then..." He adjusted the backpack he was wearing on his shoulder, laughing as he attempted to continue with the conversation. "Anyways... It's nice to meet you," he said with a smile, bowing his head. "I'm not actually from here... I've been having a lot of trouble with the language too, so..."

"Well you're doing very well," Anzu assured the teen, smiling as she ignored the accent. "I'm Anzu," she continued, bowing somewhat before gesturing to the blond beside her. "And this is Jonouchi..."

Katsuya nodded at that, smile somewhat forced as he held eye contact with the 'spirit'. Damn it, why wasn't this feeling leaving! And why was this thing still staring!

"Thank you," Namu was saying as the blond stared, "But I'm really not that good... You two seem like good people though," he added, pulling Katsuya from his 'zone' as the blond jumped. "Maybe we could become friends..?" ...Nooooo... He wasn't sure why, but he didn't think that would be a good ide-

Anzu chuckled warmly, charmed by the awkwardness of the situation. "Well I don't see a problem with that..." Ahhhh, he should have said something... "Come on," Anzu said with a smile, looking back at Katsuya for a moment. "We were about to find out where the finals for the tournament are!" Yes...

Yes they were...

"Y-Yea... Act'lly," he said nervously as he rubbed his neck, "It's only five so..." The others turned, watching as the blond coughed and pointed off in the direction of the hospital. "I was thinkin' we could go check on Bakura... Make sure he's alrigh'?" he trailed off, shrugging. And maybe ask a certain 'other' Bakura about what the hell was going on, because much as he didn't want to think about that guy, this was just too weird...

"I'm sure he's fine," Namu 'insisted' rather quickly, shaking his head as the three moved down the road. "Hey, actually... Let's go this way," he decided, running ahead and taking a sharp turn to the right, "Alright?"

"That way?" Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, turning into the alley and picking up speed as Katsuya frowned. Bad feeling, bad feeling, _bad feeling..!_ He grit his teeth, looking around uneasily as Namu nodded ahead of then.

"Yeah," he was saying, "It's a short cut to my hotel... I can drop off my bag that way, and-" Bad feeling!

"Ngh!" Katsuya tensed, grabbed from behind by a cloaked figure many times larger than himself. Attempting to move his arms was futile as he struggled, Anzu giving a shout as she turned before being grabbed as well.

"Ngggh..!" Hell no! He wasn't going down without a-

"Nnn..." Fight...

The blond's eyes fluttered shut, vision blurring as his movements grew sluggish. Shit... Chloro...

Chlorof...

The last thing he could see before passing out was Anzu struggling against the grip of another cloaked figure... And flames...

Wrapping around 'Namu' almost protectively as his expression was hidden from view. And in the flames...

An eye... With teeth.

No...

...


	15. Power And Weakness

_-Bzzzz. Bzzzz.-_

"Come on," Yugi hissed at the phone, fists clenched as the ringer came through the air. He'd been repeating this action a number of times so far, looking more and more agitated with each run-through. "Pick up..!"

She'd be lying if she said it wasn't slightly amusing but the fact was, with all the time they were wasting she was beginning to feel just as agitated. "You've called your 'friends' six times already," Seto growled, glaring at her rival as the boy was again answered with a dial tone. "Face it; they aren't answering."

"Tch... This isn't like them," he muttered, stowing the phone back in his jacket pocket. "She normally would have answered by now... And Bakura would have answered quickly as well, there's something wrong!" Nhn... Of course there was...

That was why she had Mokuba looking. "Save your breath... We'll know where they are soon enough," she muttered, adjusting her shoulder as they continued down the road. "I have Mokuba tracking your dog and friends, it won't be much longer. Really," the woman continued with a smirk, chuckling under her breath, "You should get a collar on him before someone beats you to it..."

"Gh-" The teen tensed, turning to the woman with narrowed eyes. "Stop comparing him to a dog Kaiba... You of all people should know he's far more than that, both as a person and a duelist!" Hnnn...

Well, he certainly had a habit of exceeding the expected limits of common sense... Seto merely rolled her eyes at the thought and response both however, turning the next corner with a slight sigh. "Yes... About that..." Yugi frowned as his 'friend' continued, a slightly unimpressed frown in place. "As I recall," she said with raised eyebrows, "Jonouchi's duelist level is '2' out of '8'... Considering only duelists of level five and on are allowed into the tournament," the woman continued with a subtle growl, "Exactly how did your friend the 'mutt' get in?" Yugi bit his lip with those words, turning away as the woman continued in response to her 'friend's silence. "Hn! Well then... As soon as we find him, I'll just have to declare him 'disqualified'," she decided, smirking as the teen beside her balked. "Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"Gh- Kaiba!" Yugi growled, saying nothing more as he clenched his fists. The teen scowled as his 'friend' walked ahead, the woman looking back with a narrow smirk before continuing.

"What... Not so eager to find him anymore?" she asked, still chuckling under her breath. "Afraid to find him only to tell him he's out of the running?" Again the answer was silence, the pair continuing down the road as they searched for any sign of Anzu and Jonouchi. Well... She supposed there wasn't much to say on that really.

...And she supposed that if the mutt had somehow managed to qualify for the finals she'd let it slide...

They would all be inside an airship after all, it wasn't as though everyone would die while in the air.

Now then... So far since they'd run into since that pathetic 'tag-team' match, they'd run into two duelists, each one dealt with swiftly and mercilessly. And each one giving Yugi another card. They were now tied, five cards for five cards...

But what was taking Mokuba so long to call back with Jonouchi's location she wondered, a frown coming over her face. "Hnnn..."

Yugi turned, frowning as the woman beside her grumbled under her breath. "What?" he asked as he shook his head, "What is it?" Wh-

Nothing, he should mind his own- ...Ahhhh, but this was Yugi...

Right. "Hn! Nothing," the woman said plainly, a smirk coming over her face again as she opted to change the subject. "It's just odd don't you think? Here I am, walking shoulder to shoulder with the man I consider my lifelong rival... The one who I would want nothing more than to drive into the ground with Obelisk right this moment," she added 'darkly', watching as her rival's expression continued to sour in response to the comment. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." What, not funny? Well.

It was amusing her at least. "...Kaiba," Yugi muttered, narrowing his eyes as he turned back to the streets. "Right now we just need to find my friends... You can have your duel when we know they're alright," he continued, his rival again rolling her eyes.

"Yes, yes, your 'friends'... 'Mazaki', 'Bakura', and the 'Mutt'," she muttered, smirk dying. Honestly, did she even say 'duel me' after catching back up? No. Not to say she wouldn't love that right now... "You know, despite all I think of your so called 'friends'," the woman said somewhat shortly, "We still share a similar purpose in this regard. The Ghouls..." Yugi held silent as the woman continued, the taller of the pair currently narrowing her eyes as she continued. "I'm going to smash every single one of them, individually..."

"...I understand your goals to do that Kaiba but-"

But nothing. "Listen, Yugi... The only reason I'm teaming up with you," Seto growled rather bluntly, "Is because as the only two with God Cards, we are an _irresistible_ prize..." She chuckled somewhat at that, before continuing with a slight sneer. "We'll attract those Ghouls like flies and kill them just as easily, exactly like those before us..." And there was no other reason!

...Except to pass the time it was apparently taking to track Jonouchi.

Just _why_ was it taking so long?

"...Kaiba," Yugi asked, pulling the woman from her thoughts on Mokuba and bringing the woman's gaze toward him, "...Just how did you get a God card?" he asked, a slight frown on his face as his 'friend' snorted. Hn!

Wouldn't he just love to know? "Hnmp... It 'chose' me," she said with a smirk, chuckling under her breath as the teen beside her growled at the answer. "That's all... And it isn't just that one," she continued, the smirk widening to a rather odd grin as the elated thought of the card's 'power' again came to mind. "Soon enough they'll all 'choose me' Yugi, yours, the Ghoul's... Their power is good as mine, understand?" Seto said with a grin, still chuckling. "Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"Tch..." The teen merely scowled in response to that, pulling out his phone and again attempting to call his friend. One moment, another... Another...

And another...

Yugi's eye visibly twitched as there was again no answer, the boy attempting a second number before clicking it over with a growl. "...Damn it..!"

"Seven," Seto muttered, adjusting the collar on her jacket as her friend growled in response. Well it was true...

...And it had taken far too long for Mokuba to respond to her calls, this wasn't good.

"And that is it," she muttered, adjusting her collar and clicking the radio on with narrowed eyes. "Mokuba," she called, holding the radio close as static met her ears. Nothing but snow. The woman waited a few moments, before repeating her call with narrowed eyes. "...Mokuba," the woman said again, "Answer me..."

Yugi paused as his rival stopped walking, the woman's grin and humor all vanishing very quickly as she continued to receive static as a response. "...He's not responding?" he asked in alarm, blood draining at the third bad sign so far. Gh...

No... Not good! They'd at least had a chance of tracking down Jonouchi with the slate, but if they had her brother...

...If they had...

Her brother, she repeated in her mind, eyes widening with fear as the gravity of the words hit her.

No..! "...Mokuba?" she repeated somewhat louder, a tinge of panic coming into her voice as she swallowed. "Mokuba!" Seto shouted again, "Are you there?!"

"Kaiba we need to go check on him," Yugi muttered with a nervous swallow, staring at the woman and slowly shaking his head. "If something's happened to Mokuba and the others, I can guarantee that-"

"Don't. Say anything," she growled, sending a sharp glare to the teen as her 'rival' immediately clammed up. Mokuba wasn't answering the radio. Which meant that the guards would be out as well, Mokuba wouldn't just leave the radio unattended! So in addition to Jonouchi and his 'friends' apparently being too stupid to defend themselves, the guards had been overpowered and possibly killed, her brother taken and...

And...

"Gh..." Alright, alright, she told herself, rubbing her head, first things first, she'd need to-

"...Kaiba!" Yugi shouted with a jolt, "Above you-!" What?

"Tch!" Seto turned, arm raising into a block as a shadow flew over head. Something locked around her wrists, someone small using the arm as leverage to push off toward the ground across from her, but... "Who-!"

The 'shadow' quickly landed, black cloak flapping in the breeze as he turned back. A ghoul! And...

The woman looked back at her arm, eyes wide as she looked over the bizarre 'mask' that was locked around her arm and duel disk. "..What the hell!?" What the hell did that scum slip on her arm!

Yugi stared at the lock like device that was wrapped around his rival's dueldisk, eyes wide as the woman attempted to pull at the thick chains briefly only to growl in unbridled rage. "Some kind of... Mask?" More like a chastity belt for her duel disk!

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." The two turned, both glaring at the short masked 'ghoul' as the man turned to face them. "This just isn't your day is it Seto Kaiba? First your employees, then your brother... And now I've blocked contact to your God Card... I'd be fairly impressed if you could pick that lock, hnhahaha!" Blocked co-

So that was the intent then? It really figured... It really figured that _scum_ like this would resort to that...

Even Yugi was looking at the woman beside him with slight unease as Seto growled, knuckles cracking as she began to walk forward. "You... You can enjoy your few seconds of laughter while you can you rat, but if you think you can get away with threatening my brother and doing this to my arm!" He could enjoy being beaten to death with it!

"Now now, don't get all strung up," the man muttered, taking a step back as a rumbling sound came over the air. A mask covered the right half of the ghoul's face, a permanent grin drawn on its form as it was mirrored by a real one. "There's a key for that lock after all, so you'll be getting your precious 'God' back... And as for your brother," the ghoul continued with a chuckle, "He's perfectly fine..." And she was supposed to take his word for that? The man pointed upward, Seto and Yugi both frowning as the rumbling appeared to increase in volume. "Take a look," he added with a low grin, chuckling as the familiar sound of a helicopter continued to close in from above. Take...

Take a... Look..?

The woman's eyes widened as she slowly turned upward, mouth hanging open as she spotted something dangling from the helicopter that had appeared in the distance. That...

The vehicle slowly came closer, hovering a number of feet away as the figure that was strung around the middle and hanging ten feet below the device quickly cleared. That was...

"Mokuba," Yugi whispered in horror, staring in shock as the screaming boy swung from the cord in the distance. The winds were battering him about like some invisible cat would play with a toy, black hair growing matted and tangled as it caught in the boy's face, his eyes wide with terror as his mouth hung open. Screaming... He was screaming but all she could hear was the helicopter, the roaring sound that was drowning out her brother's shouts for help and..!

"Mng... You..."

"You want him back?" the Ghoul asked with a sneer, Seto looking back down at the ghoul with rage filled eyes. "Want your duel disk 'unlocked'?" If not for the fact that she didn't know if there was a radio connected to that copter in the mask... "Follow my lead," the masked man said with a grin, hopping back and up one of the signs to the sides. "I'll be on the roof of this building you see behind me," he continued cheerfully, "And I expect both of you to come... Unless," he continued with a dark sneered, "You'd rather both him and your 'Jonouchi Katsuya' to be 'misplaced'," the man threatened, both of the teens before him shaking in rage.

"You damned snakes," Yugi hissed, face growing red as the masked ghoul continued to free-run up the building at their side.

"Yugi... Why don't we show this scum exactly what kind of HELL they've wrought on themselves," Seto growled, nails digging into her palms until blood ran across her fingers.

"Agreed," the teen roared without pause, the masked man before them merely disappearing toward the roof to join another masked figure up above. The roaring helicopter in the distance continued to sound, both of the duelists looking at the vehicle a moment before swallowing. Mokuba...

The helicopter was turning away, flying off into the distance and disappearing behind the taller high-rises of the city. Mokuba..!

Hang in there!

* * *

"Un!"

_-brmm!_

"Hah... Hah... HAAAAAAHHH- ...UN!"

_-BRRMM!_

The sounds of constant pounding filled the dark, sunless air around Anzu Mazaki as she slammed her weight against the warehouse door, teeth grinding together as she was answered with steady and complete resistance once more. Nothing...

The steel door that sat before her held completely, Anzu biting her lip as she stood back from the entrance and shook. This place... She'd woken up just moments before in this dark... Warehouse of sorts, surrounded by a maze of storage containers and wooden crates. There was almost no light in the room, or at least what was created by an impenetrable and impossible to scale wall of storage containers at the side. Jonouchi was gone. Her phone wasn't getting any reception at all, that was the first thing she'd checked when she'd woken up...

And as she walked over to the side, stepping on the pile of boxes near the only light source she had, the only window in the room she had to bow her head in misery as she realized she couldn't possibly reach the frame in the stupid skirt she was wearing...

And even then she'd probably only fall head first to the ground trying to stretch her leg through the window. "Damn it," she whispered, sinking to the ground as she rubbed her head with slightly worn and bloodied palms. Trapped. She was trapped like some kind of lab rat, or even her hamster, she had no clue what happened... "What's going on..."

_-crrrrrrrrrrkk_

Anzu turned, jumping as the door to the warehouse slipped open a notch to allow a sliver of light in. There were mutterings coming from the other side... The sounds of a slight struggle, but as she came to the door she found herself jumping back as someone was thrown past her to the ground, the door closing over with a slam. "Glk!"

The boy that had been tossed in struggled to pull himself up, quivering and shuddering violently from some unseen horror. Black hair, a light vest over a t-shirt... And...

Oh god! "M-Mokuba!" the woman shouted, rushing forward to help the boy up with wide eyes. The boy shuddered as she grabbed his arm, helping him to a seated position before paling. "You're shaking like a leaf," she whispered, Mokuba merely coughing as he closed his eyes tightly. "What happened?" Anzu asked, "You're so cold..."

More than cold, he felt like an ice cube..! "H-Hah... Hahhh... Hah..." The boy swallowed as he was helped up to his feet, breathing frantic as he clung to Anzu's arms. Why was he... Why was he so cold? "Hah... Gnk... Where..." Mokuba swallowed, continuing to shiver as Anzu stared. "K-Katsuya-nii," he whispered with a cough, shaking his head as he opened his eyes. "Where... Where's Katsuya-nii?" he managed to force out, slowly warming up in Anzu's arms.

The woman shook her head, biting her lip as she stared at the ground. "I don't know... I only woke up a few minutes ago," she explained with a nervous swallow, "I can't find him anywhere..."

At least not on this side of the warehouse she thought bitterly, eyes trailing over to the slight gap between storage bins. They were all turned with their doors toward her, giving the nasty feeling of something lurking on the other end. Gh...

"I tried to get out," Anzu muttered, turning away from the bins with a shudder, "But all I managed to do was cut my hand..." A number of times actually... That door was in really bad shape despite its strength.

"Ng..." Mokuba nodded, standing away from Anzu as he continued to shake slightly. "T-Then... What about your phone?" he asked, swallowing as he looked at the woman worriedly. "Did you try-"

The woman held it forward as she clenched her purse, a standard 'no signal' light flashing from the screen as she shook her head. "Nothing," she admitted, stowing it back in the bag and turning to Mokuba. "...I'm sorry..."

The boy bit his lip, bowing his head as he clenched his fists. "Those bastards... Forcing my brother to do what they want..." What? Anzu blinked, staring as Mokuba explained with a nervous shrug. "I... I had been about to track down you and Katsuya-nii, like my brother asked," he admitted, coughing awkwardly. "One of the Ghouls mentioned following you around," the boy continued quietly, "And we were worried... So we-"

"Ahh... We?" Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, raising her eyebrows. "Not to make things seem worse but... Since when did your brother care about what happened to Jonouchi and I?" she continued, a slight frown on her face.

"Oh... Well... Yugi and I were worried I guess..." Mokuba turned away briefly, shaking himself as he sighed. "I mean... I know Nii-sama doesn't act like it, but he does care... In his own way," he added, scratching his head. The boy continued to shiver as he looked around the room, swallowing as he rubbed his arms. "Still... I know the God cards they have are rare," he muttered somewhat angrily, biting back a growl, "But it never really hit me that someone would go through all this trouble to get them..!" Yeah well... 'Duel monsters' hadn't seemed like the sort of thing to spawn giant holographic matches, but there they were... And...

Wait... "God cards?" Anzu repeated, blinking. "Yugi has... He has one of the God cards?" Mokuba nodded, wrapping his arms around himself as he sat on one of the boxes at the side.

"Yeah... He won one just before I was captured," he added, standing up on the box as he continued. "The ghouls probably took us as leverage for that... Stupid 'Malik'," the boy growled, kicking a nearby box as he swallowed. "I hope nii-sama shoots him point blank for what he did!" H-Hahh! That was a little extreme wasn't it?

Anzu swallowed, silent for a moment before realizing what the boy had just said. Malik...

...They might have been taken for the cards but... "I wonder," she muttered, taking a seat on a nearby box and turning away in thought. "...If there's more to it than that..."

"...More?" Mokuba stared, before Anzu nodded and explained. "Yugi only just got the card right?" she asked, the boy nodding. "Well... Earlier," she continued, lowering her voice, "Jonouchi was acting as though we were being followed, constantly looking behind him. Bakura and I thought he was just spacing out but-"

"Wait," Mokuba muttered, "You were being followed? ...Ah! Malik told us that he had you both tailed," he continued with a slight shout, eyes widening with realization. "That's why we started looking for you," he added, watching as Anzu bit her lip and winced.

So Jonouchi was probably being the smartest of them at the time then. Ooooh... She'd been worried about all the wrong things then! "Gh... That's not good," she muttered, recalling Ishizu's words about a 'great battle' taking place. But that... That couldn't possibly have anything to do with this right? Anzu continued to bite her lip, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "There's obviously something more to this but- Hnn..." The woman shook herself, holding her head before turning to the window she'd attempted to escape from before. "We need to get out of here," she muttered, shaking her head and swallowing. "There has to be some way we can both escape, a window, or..." Or...

Anzu paused, staring off above the boxes and at Mokuba as the boy frowned. "Or?" he asked, watching as the woman before him began climbing toward the window again. "H-Hey, what are you-"

"Come on," Anzu hissed, grabbing Mokuba's arm and pulling him forward and up the crates with a swallow. "There's a window over there, I can help you out..!"

"I-" The boy blinked, stumbling and protesting somewhat as the woman helped him over a few large crates. Shouts were sounding outside for some reason now... She didn't have much time, if she couldn't fit than Mokuba at least would! "A-Anzu!" Mokuba muttered, under his breath, "What about you though, and Katsuya-nii? How are you guys going to get out!"

The woman shook her head, merely helping the boy up as they pushed at the small window to open it up to the harbor outside. "We'll manage," she said with a swallow, looking out the window at the pile of boxes in front of it. Crates and things completely lined the wall, leading out to the road along the pier... Good. Mokuba wouldn't be falling from too high then... Anzu pulled Mokuba forward, lifting him up toward the window and helping the boy through. "Just go and get help! I might not be able to get out now," she continued with a panicked whisper, "But you can!"

The sound of the door opening came through the air, Anzu swallowing as she looked back at from Mokuba to the door. "...Anzu," he whispered, already half-way out the window.

"Go," she hissed, pushing the boy through the window. "And hurry!"

There was a slight shout as Mokuba tumbled forward, a small thud echoing through the air as he landed. Ghouls were running into the room now, the sound of footsteps echoing outside...

She couldn't fit reach this window true, but she could at least listen as Mokuba picked himself up and fled the scene, the ghouls charged with them more distracted by what they could see. "H-Hey!" one of the ghouls growled, running forward with wide eyes, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Haha... Hahahahaha! Rough hands pulled her away from the window, the woman kicking out at the men grabbing her as she growled, elated mood quickly vanishing as she was dragged across the floor.

"G- What the hell do you think you're doing, pigs!" Stone and wooden slivers dug into her legs, hair tugged painfully above her head as it was used as some sort of hand-hold for the ghoul to grab. "Gh- Don't touch me!"

The second ghoul merely spat on the ground, looking around the room as his partner held Anzu still. "D-Damn it," he muttered, turning from the rest of the small empty space in the room, "The boy's gone!"

"What?!" the other snarled, dropping Anzu roughly to the ground as she groaned. Anzu coughed as she pulled herself up from the ground, watching as the ghouls turned on her with wide eyes. "You..."

"Hnh..." Time to do... Something Jonouchi would do she thought mentally, stumbling to her feet as she spat a bit of blood on the ground. "Got a problem with that?" she muttered hoarsely, a hand slapping across her face in response.

How they knocked her out this time probably had more to do with the ground that met her face than chemicals really...

* * *

Bastards. Monsters. The kind of scum that made her wish she carried a gun. This and many other steadily more creative curses were being muttered under Seto's breath as she stormed up the stairs of the relatively tall high-rise that their target had free-run up to. And as this string of curses came through the air she couldn't help but notice the emptiness of the building, fists clenched tight as Yugi ran behind her and further up the stairs. Demons, fiends, scumbags, dead, dead, _DEAD_!

"When I get to the top of this building," she spat, cursing the broken elevator that they'd found at the bottom floor.

"We may very well have no choice but to give in to their demands," Yugi warned, his own tone clearly showing his distaste for the situation. "So you might want to hold off on the end of that sentence..."

Tch! Tell it to someone who gave a crap. "'Kaiba's don't negotiate with nutcases like these," the woman growled, passing the tenth floor of thirteen with thundering steps, "They 'win', by any means necessary- and if I get any references to past matches," she added with a snarl, turning on her rival for a brief moment as they came to the twelfth floor...

Yugi's look quite clearly said this was the last thing on his mind, not that Seto could see it as she turned away from the teen. "Just try and calm down," the boy warned somewhat hypocritically, his own posture betraying that advice as they slowed their pace on the stairs. "They have Mokuba, and they probably have Jonouchi and the others as well," he continued, face still red at the thought of what the ghouls were doing with their hostages. "We can't risk their lives because of anger!" Oh really?

"And you're any better?" she spat lowly. voice momentarily left un-disguised as they ran up the stairs. There was a moment of silence with that, the pair making it to the final floor as Yugi frowned. "As I recall, you were more than ready to push me over that castle tower in the Duelist Kingdom... So what's with the change of heart, Yugi?"

There was an awkward span of silence in response to that, Yugi stopping for a moment as his rival briefly turned back. "...Something my partners and friends taught me," the boy said plainly, tone laced with clear distaste. "Though believe me when I say that if it weren't for them there would be a lot more blood shed than necessary..." Oh...

Well wasn't that an interesting confession.

"And at least I'm trying to heed those words," he muttered off alongside 'confession', before pushing past the woman and onto the roof. "Now then," he growled, staring across the rooftop with narrowed eyes.

"Tch... Two," Seto hissed as they moved out onto the roof, a large and seemingly bottomless skylight across from them. A pair of ghouls stood on the far end of the glass roof, each wearing the iconic black-purple robes of the Rare Hunters. There was something strapped to the bottom of the glass as well, the woman noted... Something small, and round, a device of sorts...

But for the moment, she wasn't particularly interested in that, preferring to deal with something far more important.

"You two!" she shouted, voice again hidden with more masculine tones as she narrowed her eyes. "What did you do with my brother?"

The two across from them merely sneered, the taller chuckling from behind the black 'half-mask' on the right of his face. "Your brother? Oh... He's 'safe'," he said with a dismissive shrug, the shorter one from before also chuckling as the two teens stepped forward.

"Well... For now at least," the white-masked man muttered, grinning darkly as the woman before them continued to tense. Gh... If she could just push them off the edge of this roof right now...

"Here," the ghoul continued, tossing a key forward as Seto caught it in a swift and reflexive motion, "The 'first half' of our deal... Now that you're up here," the masked one 'explained' with a sneer, "You won't be needing that disk lock..." Tch...

And she had a nasty feeling she knew why too, given the positions of the pair before her. Nonetheless she unlocked the bizarre, mask-like device, tossing it roughly to the side as the chains fell to the ground around her. Now then she thought as she narrowed her eyes, only for her rival to step forward and speak first.

"What do you want from us?" Yugi hissed, arms crossed as the two teens stared the ghouls down. "You hang Kaiba's brother from a helicopter... You kidnap my friends, doing who knows what to both them and whoever was around them... Answer us!" he roared, the wind about them howling as if in response to this rage.

Again the ghouls merely chuckled, moving their arms to reveal duel disks as the devices clicked into position, decks already loaded into each one. "Now now," the short one said with a sneer, wagging his finger at the pair. "Not so hasty... You haven't even given us the chance to introduce ourselves," he drawled, shaking his head.

"And as two of Malik-sama's top assassins," the taller continued darkly, crossing his arms with a disgusted expression in place, "That's quite insulting... But given the circumstances you're 'forgiven'," he continued, the two across from him rendered silent with rage the more the ghouls spoke. "I," the man continued as he gestured to his face, black 'scowling' mask gleaming in the sunlight, "Am the 'Mask of Darkness'..."

"And I," his partner added, holding his hands out wide as he chuckled, "Am the Mask of Light... And together we are a tag-team formed specifically to hunt down the two God Cards, in the event that a pair such as yourselves appear..." Well wasn't that just convenient...

They were against a nutcase who prepared for losing.

"Now... Both of you, step on the glass," he ordered, the two teens both doing so with narrowed eyes and clenched fists. "We're going to have a two-on-two match," 'Light' continued with a grin.

"But first," Darkness added as he spread his arms to gesture at the field, "We'll explain the rules," His partner nodded from the side at this, before the taller of the pair continued. "Besides being a 'tagteam' match," he explained, grin holding steady across his face, "Each player's points are 'stand alone'." Stand alone... "When one person loses their points," the man continued in clarification, "They're eliminated; to win however, both opposing partners must be defeated!"

"And of course, by 'eliminated'," 'Light' continued with a wide and toothy grin, "We mean 'killed'..." Tch...

'Of course', Seto thought with a mental growl, before looking down at the glass she now stood on while the 'Masks' gestured below. "As you can see," Darkness shouted over the raging winds, "We're on the top floor of this building, standing on the skylight that spans the entire height... Other than this sheet of glass," he continued, tapping the thick sheet for emphasis, "There is nothing standing between us and the ground floor..." Yes, because that was safe...

Though she supposed that as long as each of the four windows were supported on their own... "And if your life points hit zero," Light 'warned' with a grin, pulling Seto from these thoughts, "There won't be anything to keep you on this roof- as soon as your points are gone the devices attached to this roof will send out the shockwave needed to shatter the glass beneath your feet," he announced with a mad cackle, "Sending you thirteen floors down to your death!" ...Great...

Just... "And before you even think of simply dueling from the side of the skylight," Darkness growled, his soon to be opponents raising their eyebrows somewhat, "Remember who has your friends and family in their possession..." There went that option.

"Hnhnhnhn... That's all for the rules... Time to start! We call this the 'Last Stand Death Match," Light cackled, grin mirroring the one on his mask as his partner did the same. "Sounds fun, doesn't it?" Fun?

Silence continued to emanate off of Yugi and Seto both, the two merely loading their decks as a fierce wind began to blow about the rooftops. They had yet to say anything since the two began speaking; after all, talking would just wast time.

Like what these nimrods were doing. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Too scared to speak?" Darkness asked in the continued silence, sneering as the two narrowed their eyes further. Oh please...

Of them? "Are you done now," Seto growled, clicking her duel disk into place as her 'partner' did the same. "It's taking all I can not to simply push you off the side of this building without you morons wasting my time," she continued, opponents momentarily tensing under the glare as she held her duel disk forward. "As it is," the woman spat, "The only reason we're having this duel is so that I can have the satisfaction of watching you fools bring about your own demise!"

Yugi nodded with those words, jaw clenched as he stood across from the 'Mask of Light' and held his own disk forward. "Enough talking," he said with a shout, wind picking up in ferocity as he tossed his jacket to the side. "Begin the duel!"

"GO!" Hands were drawn...

Momentarily Seto glanced down, eyes narrowed at the height beneath them. Almost like looking at a pair of mirrors across from each other... Except she could somewhat see the bottom, the 'end' in this case. Tch...

While heights were never a problem for her, the glass 'floor' was giving her a case of vertigo. Nothing compared to what Mokuba likely felt from that helicopter, a nasty voice reminded her, the woman swallowing as she looked over her hand. Nothing...

"I go first," the 'Mask of Light' was shouting, taking two cards from his hand with a grin. The woman pulled herself from her thoughts, turning as the man continued speaking. "Got it? We'll alternate players," he stated clearly, "One team at a time..." Standard procedure... Did he really need to go over it again? "Now, for my turn," the man continued, a pair of flat, holographic cards appearing to the field as he spoke, "I'll set two face down cards... And that's the end! Now then Yugi," the mask called out, pointing across from him, "You'll go next, understand?"

The teen gave a curt nod, looking over his hand momentarily before speaking. "Alright then," the teen shouted, drawing his card and looking over it before he set it on the duel disk. "...I'll play Beta the Magnet warrior in defense mode," he decided, the holographic 'magnet doll' appearing as the card was set, 'u' shaped hands forming a block as it crouched down. "Turn over!"

"My turn then," Darkness announced in response, raising his disk back up as he took his turn. The man drew from his deck, quickly setting a card for an odd, spherical angel of sorts to appear. "Shining Angel," he called out as the angel as well crouched down, "Defense mode!" Hnn...

Two face downs, a mon-

"HnhnhnhnHahaha!" Make that one face down... "And the moment his monster is summoned," Light called out, his first face down swinging upward with those words, "I activate this! Spell card, Mask of Brutality," he shouted, his partner laughing as the clawed mask came to the field. The mask shimmered into existence on the crouching angel's face, eyes seemingly replaced with clawed hands from the mask. "This gives Shining Abyss 700 attack points," Darkness explained with a grin, the cards too far apart for any fine print to be read off the cards. "So have fun trying to top that!" Seven hun-

"Tch..." Right off the bat he had a monster with over 2000 attack points..! Well... Obviously her opponents would be relying on 'teamwork', Seto thought with a mental growl, arms crossed. "Hmp..."

Not that that generally worked out well... The woman glanced at her rival briefly as it came to her turn, mentally snorting at the idea before turning back to the field. Hah! Like she would be making any plans with him. No... She'd just have to use whatever Yugi had on the field to her advantage. These ghouls...

She was going to crush them herself, so called 'help' would only 'spoil the brew' so to speak! "My turn," she muttered that that in mind, a dangerous and wide-eyed glare in place as she drew her first card. "First I'll set a card face down," the woman announced, the holographic card hovering two feet from the ground with those words, "And then the beast of the battlefields, Blood Vorse," she continued with a shout, "Attack mode!" The axe wielding monster appeared in an instant before her, teeth bared in a permanent scowl as its card hovered behind it, iris-void eyes staring across the field. "Hn... End turn!" And next turn, she'd be sacrificing for her next monster...

Bringing this duel even closer to an end. Hnhnhnhnhn... "Well well," a drawling voice muttered across the field, Seto's mental chuckling quickly vanishing. "Someone's plotting something..." Oh please, the point of summoning was fairly obvious as it was... The Mask of Light continued to grin from across her, drawing his next card and looking at it with a chuckle. "It's my turn," he said plainly, "And for my next play, I'll be using this very card! Ta-daaah!" he shouted, setting the card on the field as its image was revealed to the others. "Mask of Accursed!" Mask of-! The card's 'mask' briefly appeared before the spell, gruesome, nailbeaten face staring out to the field. "Nhnhnhnhn! A nice mask wouldn't you say?" Light commented with a grin, the mask appearing on Yugi's Beta Warrior with a swift flash as the monster was pulled 'out of play' and behind him. "Your monster looks wonderful!" ...Ehhh...

Seto glanced at the monster, briefly running over the card's stats in her mind. ...Hn. Five hundred points of damage to Yugi for each turn he took with the mask on his monster... Beta Warrior now rendered unable to attack and defend as a result. Not her problem then...

She'd deal with these scum before that became an issue in any case... "And for the rest of my move," the shorter of their opponents continued, Seto glancing back as the man grabbed another card from his hand, "Another face down card!" The next card appeared in a flash on the field as Light made his decision, the two cards he had resembling some sort of bizarre table as a result. Another trap or spell... Tch! Playing nothing but de-buffs and 'buffers' then? Pathetic... "And that'll be all for me," the man 'decided', crossing his arms before gesturing across to his opponent. "Of course, that means you take 500 points of damage," the ghoul added, grinning as Yugi glared at his duel disk and opponent both.

"Tch... Draw," the teen shouted in response to the 'reminder', looking at his result with narrowed eyes. The Magnet Warrior was paralyzed for the moment thanks to his 'mask' Seto thought to herself, glancing at the beast. But if there was one thing it was still good for, it was a sacrifice. And if Yugi passed that up... The teen beside her grimaced, staring at his opponents cards for a moment before nodding. Good, he was going to do something that made sense. "...I sacrifice the Magnet Warrior," he shouted, only for the next of 'Light's cards to swing upward as the man cut his opponent off.

Alright, maybe it made a little less sense than expected. "Hehehehheee! Not so fast now," Light shouted, laughter filling the windy air as the card's image and masked moved toward the center of the field. "I activate the trap 'Mask of Restrict'! As long as this is here there won't be any sacrifices from you two," he continued with a grin, the bizarre skeletal mask hovering above the center of the field as both Yugi and Seto paled. No... Sacrifices?

No. No no no no no...

No... That wasn't...

Darkness sneered from across the two, chuckling under his breath as his opponents both went white. "Hehehe... And with that card, your 'Gods' are useless... So have fun gathering shields in the meantime," he continued with a laugh. "You'll need them!" No no nonono-

"You snakes," she growled, deciding not to wonder when 'hebi' became an insult in her mind. "Rggggh..."

"Gh... Damn it," Yugi muttered under his breath, replacing the card he'd planned on summoning before taking two others from his hand. "I play Kuriboh in defense mode," he announced, the furball springing into view and staring out at the field as its card appeared behind it on its side, "Along with one face down card!" The second card appeared like a table beside the Kuriboh, shimmering somewhat in the light as its summoner scowled. "I end my turn," he continued, his opponents grinning in response.

"Which makes it mine," Darkness announced, a 'hissing', 'psst' sound from Yugi's end of the field pulling Seto's attention from whatever play he was planning to make. Wh-

What, now? "Kaiba," the teen muttered, looking at his rival with a slight frown as he received a similar look in response, "Listen... As much as I know you have a ridiculous hatred for 'working alongside' someone," he whispered under his breath, "Our normal tactics aren't going to work here..." Nhnnn...

Oh yes, damn that supposedly 'ridiculous' hatred. How ever would she stay on top? (Idiot...) "Your point?" she growled in return, eyebrow raised somewhat as the boy shook his head.

"My point," he hissed with evident agitation, "Is that we need to share plans; we need to work together on this one," he continued, sounding fairly similar to his past self in the Legendary Heroes game.

"Hn!" And in all honesty, going along with programming and working in a tag-team duel were two very different things. The woman snorted, crossing her arms as she turned away from the boy with a slight smirk. "Ridiculous..."

"Kaiba," Yugi growled, his rival merely rolling her eyes. Stop talking...

She was trying to focus on the duel... "Shining Abyss attacks Blood Vorse!" Darkness shouted abruptly, his target's owner smirking in response as she watched the angel approach. "Hn! Just try it," she sneered, tapping her duel disk as her face down card swung up, the attacking monster halting in place to allow its activation. "Activate trap; Ring of Destruction! You can enjoy your twenty-three hundred points of damage," she continued as the grenade-decorated ring latched around the 'angel's neck, her 'partner' grinning in relief as the card activated. Seeeee? 'Every duelist for themselves' worked perfectly fine...

"I wouldn't think so," 'Light' said from across the field, the grins of his opponents falling in response. What! Seto's smirk vanished as her second opponent's next card swung upward, the image of two cards appearing on the field. "Counter-trap," he called out with a cackle, "Curse Transfer!" Curse transf-

"Gh-!" The ring of grenades quickly appeared around her own monster's neck in response to the trap, an explosion of light taking over the field as she was left defenseless. Within a single instant the monster and trap were both removed from the field, the cards doing nothing from their place in the duel disk. And with twenty-one hundred points left, with no shield... "Shit," she muttered, teeth grinding as the angel before her moved to attack again. Shit...

Shit! "Hnhnhnhn... That's the strength of Light and Darkness!" 'Light' said with a shrug, shaking his head as he sneered.

"Our teamwork is unbeatable," Darkness continued, pointing forward with a wide grin in place. "And thanks to that bit of fun, this will be a two-on-one match! Have fun in Hell, Seto Kaiba!" H-

... Haaaah...

The angel let loose a single, solid blast of blinding light toward her, Seto's eyes widening briefly as the light filled her vision with nothing but white. No... No!

The woman's eyes closed over out of reflex as the light intensified, arm raised above her head in defense only for the woman to frown as it began to fade. Lowering her arm and looking forward, the frown was replaced with an expression of shock as a series of explosions filled the air from in front of her rather than from below, the glass still firm beneath her feet as the light began to clear. "What?"

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Seto blinked furiously in an attempt to clear her vision, before staring as a swarm of kuriboh each took the attack from the monster before her. The holographic beasts filled her and Yugi's side of the completely, from behind and in front as the attacking angel retreated to its side of the field. This...

This strategy... She turned to the side, eyes wide as she looked over her rival. "Yugi!" He... Why!?

The teen merely smirked, arms crossed as 'Multiply' floated face up on the field. "Hnhnhn... You know this combo don't you?" he asked with a wink, his 'partner' merely tensing at the reminder of the Duelist Kingdom fiasco. "Kuriboh and Multiply... More than enough to protect the both of us from your attacks," he shouted toward his opponents, the smirk growing into a grin.

"Tch... A wall of weaklings," 'Darkness' spat, Seto merely staring at the wall of holographic monsters incredulously as rage began to build. His card... His card saved...

"Yugi," she growled, eyes wide as she clenched her fists, "I don't need your help in this duel!"

"Hn! So you say," he responded, eyes trained on the field as his 'friend' continued to grow red, "But if either of us dies," the boy continued in a dark reminder, "The other won't be far behind... And you know full well that your brother and Jonouchi both wouldn't want that of you," he added, placing a fair amount of emphasis on the latter with narrowed eyes. Tch...

Jonouchi... And what did she care what that mutt thought anyways! She was doing this for her brother and no one else... "Tch... You think that it's impossible to win on your own then?" she sneered, narrowing her eyes as her rival continued to stare at the field.

"I think that if there's one thing these two serpents before us have in common, it's their 'teamwork'," Yugi retorted, eyes narrowing further from their usual glare as he glanced to the woman at his side. "They're supporting each other perfectly, their decks working together like a well-oiled machine! And unless we fight together," he continued, tone raising in angered volume, "We will not succeed!"

And where was the proof in that! "Fight together?" the woman repeated darkly, slowly calming herself down from the near-death moment she'd only just had as she snorted. "...Pfh!" About as much as needed at the minimum- in other words, no change! "Whatever! It's my turn," she growled, drawing a card from her deck. Now... What did she- "Nh-!" The familiar 'vanilla' coloured card met her gaze, diamond white image gracing its form. Blue-Eyes!

The woman's eyes widened briefly, moving over to glance at the Mask of Restrict that still sat above the field. So long as that thing was there, she wouldn't be able to tribute summon... But if it was only tributes then...

...No choice, she thought bitterly, adding the dragon to her hand as she grabbed a different card. 'Stepping stone' tactics it was! "I'll play a card face down," she decided, crossing her arms as the card in question flashed to the field. Relying on Yugi of all people... Damn it! He'd better not defy expectations this time! "I'll also play Gadget soldier in defense mode," the woman shouted, watching the holographic and 'transformer-esque' figure appear in a crouch, its 'flipped' card appearing shortly behind it. "End turn!" This had better work...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Got your hands full there?" 'Darkness' taunted, sneering as he looked across the field at the monster. "You're barely protecting yourself now!" Tch. They'd see who had their hands full in a moment...

The woman was pulled from her thoughts and curses however as her opponent's partner laughed, drawing a card and placing it on the field. "It's my turn now though... But look at you, hiding behind that wall of scrub monsters!" ...If it weren't for the fact that it came from scum, she'd have considered keeping that comment in mind... "I think I ought to clean them up," Light continued with a sneer, Yugi tensing as another spell appeared upon the field. "Here's another Mask... The Mask of Dispel, attaching to your Multiply card!" Another mask-!

The swarm of kuriboh immediately dissolved as the mask wrapped around Yugi's spell card, the original kuriboh appearing back in front of its own as the mask at its side stared outward with its mournful face.

"Hnhnhn... And besides cancelling that spell's effect," Light bragged, pointing across to his opponent with a grin, "You'll take 300 points of damage each turn from that mask! Hehehehehee..." So now he was taking 800 points per turn. Seto grit her teeth, eyes narrowing as she ran a few things from her mind. 'Light' was still going through his move... Summoning a weak monster to attack and destroy Kuriboh, leaving Yugi defenseless as it came to his own turn...

_'And don't forget about your life points_ ,' 'Light' was saying with a laugh, Yugi growling under his breath as the damage was done. Not much left now, but Yugi would manage. As to what he was doing now though...

That would be for her to decide she thought with a cunning smirk, looking to her rival from the corner of her eye. "Hnhnhnhnhn... What's wrong Yugi?" the woman drawled somewhat, 'rival' turning to her with a frown. "Don't tell me you've run out of low-level monsters... You realize you're defenseless otherwise right?" she 'reminded', the smirk growing as she continued to stare at the boy from the corner of her eye. "Well... I suppose it can't be helped if you only have high level monsters in your hand," Seto 'admitted', smirk becoming more and more fox-like as she 'planted the seed'. "A card that requires sacrifice is completely useless right now... Maybe it should just be sent to the grave," she added, raising her eyebrows as she looked back to the field. Silence settled over the pair as she chuckled, before narrowing her eyes somewhat darkly as she turned her attentions to the field. "Yugi... You understand me?" she muttered under her breath, tapping her arm as her rival stared.

"K-Kaiba..." She'd take that as a 'yes'. Now just play the damn card already... Her 'partner' smirked, nodding as he took a card from his hand. This had better work... "I do," the boy muttered, responding to her earlier 'question' before setting the card on the duel disk, "And I'll play one card face down," he shouted, holographic sheet appearing above the glass as he swallowed, "I end my turn!"

Across from them the two 'masks' were muttering, voices relatively unheard. Their heads were bowed, their faces hidden, and the wind blew over any hope of listening in on their strategizing. In the end however Darkness chuckled, drawing a card before switching it with another from his hand as he took his turn. "Well well well... No monster to come to your defense Yugi," he 'asked', a sneer coming over his face as he slipped the card into the duel disk. "You know what that means... But before I attack, I'll be using this!" the man announced, card appearing on the field to bring with it an immense 'vase'-like device to the field. "Ritual Spell, Curse of the Masked Beast!" Curse of wha-

"We offer two tributes!" Light shouted, gesturing toward the field. "One monster from light,"

"And one from Darkness," his partner announced, both beasts on the field vanishing in a swirl and pillar of light as the 'vase' cracked in the center of the field. "Behold!" the pair shouted, the vase abruptly erupting in an almost explosive light, a grotesque beast appearing between the two duelists.

"The Masked Hellraiser, Beast of the Beyond! And now that we have our monster," Darkness continued, the strange, twisted monster more than proving itself worthy of the name, "I attack! Go Masked Beast, destroy him!" Thirty two hundred attack points...

The monster charged toward Yugi, Seto merely snorting. Hn! She wasn't about to have that happen... "Gadget Soldier takes the hit," she said plainly, arms still crossed as she looked at the attacking monster blankly. The others on the field turned as the Masked Beast changed its path and charged toward Seto's monster, the woman smirking as her opponent's paled in response.

"Gh- You took the attack?!" the ghouls hissed, the Masked Beast 'shredding' the Gadget Warrior with a single strike before lumbering back to its position.

"Hn! That's the purpose of a shield isn't it?" she muttered, a dark smirk in place as her partner grinned. And before this one got the wrong idea... "We're even now," she continued plainly, the smirk vanishing before Yugi could say anymore. The teen's grin faded just as quickly as the woman looked back over the field, eyes narrowed. "There's nothing else to it."

"Tch..."

"Hehehehe..." Such an annoying laugh these people had... "You might have spared yourselves this turn," Light said with a dark and cackling chuckle, "But on either of our turns we can eliminate either one of you," he continued 'threateningly. "You've just dug yourself into a hole!"

"Pff!" The woman snorted in response to the paper thin threat, shaking her head. "We'll see about that," Seto said plainly, her partner nodding as he activated his spell.

"Right! I activate the spell 'Card Destruction'!" Yugi shouted, his opponents paling as the spell took effect and swung up to reveal its image to the entire field. The ghouls both looked at their cards, paling as they traded glances.

"Gh..."

"Discarding our entire hand..." That was right. And even better than that...

The woman sent the cards into the grave as required, a smirk coming over his face as she tapped the disk for the second half of the turn. "Yes... The entire hand," she muttered, before looking across the field with her finger on the card's corresponding 'spell' button. "And now to take my turn..." The pair across from her visibly tensed at those words, watching as the woman continued. "Ordinarily I would have to tribute two monsters to make this summon," Seto 'explained', arms crossed in evident annoyance. "But I'll show you just how many other ways there are to bring a high-level monster to the field... Watch! Reveal face down card!" she shouted abruptly, the card swinging upward to release a wide spread, pale green light onto the field, "Monster Reborn! Bringing Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the grave!"

"B-Blue-Eyes!" the masks protested, the woman across from them sneering as the card released from the grave appeared on the field, the card itself being set into place on the duel disk. The dragon's earsplitting roar came across the field as it was summoned into play, the familiar if not 'odd' feeling of the dragon's arrival coming over as the winds blew viciously against them. ...But...

Wait, why wasn't it in front of her? Seto blinked, glancing to the side with slightly wide eyes as the enormous white monster seemed to curl around behind her, head easily as large as half of her body and just as wide. This...

Blue-Eyes was!

The monster raised its head slightly as it stared back at its 'master', bright blue eyes revealing the woman's reflection clearly before the dragon beat its wings to took to the air to hover above. This detail...

Seto minutely allowed her gaze to follow the monster upward, a slight feeling of calm momentarily coming over her. She'd gone out of her way to make sure there was enough detail in the monsters but...

She shook herself mentally, instead smirking as she looked at Yugi. Well... He'd certainly played his part! And ohhh look... He actually believed this was 'teamwork'. It was almost sickeningly naive, it really was...

Just how did people live with that kind of belief, really... "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Seto smirked at the thought, laughing under her breath as she looked back toward the teen. "I have to say Yugi... As much as I prefer solo-battles," she 'admitted' calmly, "I think I've found a very key element in tag-team matches..." The woman continued to chuckle as a wash of elation came over the boy beside her, a grin on his face despite the dangerously fox-like expression on his rival's face. "'Using your partner to your advantage'... If you can predict exactly what your partner will do," she explained smugly, "Just like you would in a one-on-one match, then it's easy! You used 'Card Destruction' so that I could bring out my greatest monster from the graveyard... But that's just logic," she continued with a grin, Yugi's expression quickly sinking into a scowl. "It's all easily predicted mannerisms... And you think this makes us 'friends'," the woman sneered, grin falling as she shook her head. "Hn! As I said before, we're 'even' now," Seto growled, her 'friend' grinding his teeth as the woman continued. "I've paid you back for saving my lifepoints... The next time you attack, don't expect Blue-Eyes to be helping you- I'm not helping you again," she muttered, looking back at the field as Yugi growled under his breath. Now then...

The Masked beast had 3300 points... And. Blue-Eyes...

Had three thousand. Shit. This hadn't really factored in her mind before...

...Actually, this was probably one of the few times she'd caught herself on this kind of thing damn it and... (Shit, what the hell did she do to get out of this-)

"What are you waiting for?" Yugi said somewhat smugly, eyebrows raised in slight amusement, "Blue-Eyes is the 'ultimate beast' isn't she? So attack him!"

"What?" she growled, looking at the teen incredulously. "You want me to-!" Attack? Attack the thing more powerful than-

This had better be a joke...

And a 'quick to end' one as well, because she was not amused! "If you attack now," Yugi was assuring her, "Blue-Eyes will defeat the Masked Beast... Of course, if you don't trust me," the boy continued with a 'dismissive' frown, "You can just let it return to the graveyard..." GH! If she attacked now she'd just end up dead anyways..! "Go on," Yugi said from the side, smirk slightly more honest than prior as he crossed his arms. "Show some courage!"

Alright, that was enough! "Fine!" she growled, growing red as she turned to the field with grit teeth. Taunt or no... She wasn't backing down from him! "Blue-Eyes!" she ordered with a swift gesture, the dragon giving a loud and almost song-like roar as it began to charge a blast of heated white flames. "Strike them down! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" Flames shot through the air as a third roar was released, the volume much greater than it had been moments before.

" _GRAAAAAAOOOOOO_!" In fact...

That was far louder than expected, a voice in the back of her mind muttered as the fires filled the air, white light blinding the woman as the sound of the beast's beating wings echoed behind her. The flames had quite clearly filled the field with their light for the moment... It was all she could do to not squint in an attempt to see in fact.

" _Grnnnnn..._ " Lower, Seto noted, frowning somewhat. The dragon was simply 'growling', 'purring' even, but... But she only programmed 'battle cries', roars, not...

Not that, it was a dragon after all, and...

The woman turned, staring as the head of her dragon brushed beside her before raising into the sky to cast a shadow on the glass. Felt... She felt that, but how...

"Impossible," someone muttered from across her, Seto looking back to the field with still wider eyes as her opponents paled. The light was finally fading, but in its place...

Gone. The hellraiser was... Gone... "The monster was killed!" Darkness spat, visible eye wide with horror as he and his partner were left defenseless.

"But how?" Light was whispering, shaking his head as she stared across the field, "How did it.." She did it... She killed the Hellraiser but...

That would mean... There had been a power boost or decrease inflicted. By someone other than her...

Which meant that she owed Yugi again! AAAAAAGH! "Hnhnhn..." Yugi smirked, arms still crossed as Seto looked over with a torn expression of both anger and relief in place. And he had the gall to laugh, what kind of... GH! "When I used Card Destruction," the boy was explaining, "One of the monsters sent to the graveyard activated its effect... 'Archfiend of Gilfer'; when sent to the grave," Yugi continued with a shout, "Decrease all opposing monster's attack power by 500 points!" Then...

When Yugi had played that card... Seto frowned, looking back to the empty field with wide eyes. He'd been thinking that far ahead?

"Gh..." Damn it, that was something _she_ was supposed to be doing! Yugi smiled, looking back at the woman with a slight nod despite his rival's obvious displeasure. "Kaiba... This is the power of 'Unity'," he said calmly, the teen ignoring his rival's current discomfort in response. Unity...

Tch! This wasn't the time! "...My turn is over," she muttered, clenching her jaw as she looked across the field with narrowed eyes. Blue-Eyes was still here, that was all that mattered! "Do your worst..."

"Hn... I play a monster in defense mode," Light decided in response, nodding as it came to his turn while he slipped a card on the disk. "Along with one face down card before I end my turn," he continued, a four-faced 'jar' appearing to hover above the field beside the face down in the meantime. "There goes another eight hundred points," the man 'sung', his opponent appearing to have little or no reaction as the blow was dealt from the effects. Nineteen hundred points left for Yugi then...

They had two moves left at most with that in mind. "Hn... One face down card," Yugi shouted, the card appearing at knee-height before him as he continued. "And then Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode," he continued, the armored 'magnet' appearing to the field as its card was set in place. Alpha, Beta... Hnnn... "Now Alpha, attack the Four Faced Beast!" he ordered, the warrior charging 'Melchid' and cutting the monster in two with its blade. "Magnet Sword Spark! And Melchid goes down," he roared, the monster briefly hovering in place with an odd 'hollow' light on its two halves before vanishing in a shower of pixels. "Turn over!"

Darkness stared across the field for a moment with those words, eye narrowing briefly before he drew his card. Whatever he was saying, she couldn't hear it... "Hnn..." Seto crossed her arms as the two across from them turned to each other, muttering things under their breath. There they went strategizing... As to what they would do to beat Blue-Eyes, this would probably be the most pathetic of resistances in all of history. 'Unity'... Tch!

Seto watched as 'Darkness' shouted out his next move and card set on the field for his turn. A long snake-like monster with arms and a twisted chameleon-esque face came on to the field with the card behind it, a smaller, feminine mask in the center of its brow. "...Pff! 'Nuvia'?" she snorted, arms crossed as she stared at the grotesque looking beast. Sheesh, constant mask theme... "I didn't think anyone older than four put that in their deck..."

The insult was ignored as their opponents continued to grin, Darkness merely pointing the beast forward with narrowed eyes. "Hn! You'll love this then," he roared, expression almost mirroring the scowl on his mask as he continued on. "Nuvia attacks Blue-Eyes!" he called out, the monster dropping its larger mouth open to charge a blast of lightning. "Light Beam Gun!"

"WHAT?" Was he serious- The monster had 2000 points, this was just going to help...

There was more to it.

Damn it."Hnhnhn... Activate spell," Light announced gleefully as the holographic snake blasted a ray of electricity toward Blue eyes, "Mask of Weakness! And just in time for the attack!" Mask of-

The card that swung up on the field shimmered slightly as a mask appeared before it, a mannequin pinned to its form as stakes hovered in the eye sockets. And after vanishing from sight with no warning... " _G-Gnnnnnnn... GROAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOO!_ " The dragon roared as the mask vanished and reappeared across its chest, stakes driving into its body as Seto stared at the enormous beast beside her. That spell... But that spell halved the attack points of...

"Gh..." Shit... She turned back to where 'Nuvia' sat, watching as the electric blast fired toward her dragon, the monster in question crawling in front of its summoner in an attempt to shield her. Shit!

"Bye-bye Blue Eyes," 'Darkness' said with a grin, chuckling under his breath as Seto stared at her monster. Blue-Eyes... From the stakes impaled on its chest, from the body that was somehow creating a shadow over her as the monster curled above and before her. Blue-Eyes was bleeding... "The attack continues!"

"I don't think so," Yugi shouted, a card swinging upward as he tapped his disk. "I have my own card," he continued, the card briefly revealing its image and information to the field before vanishing from sight. "The trap 'Mystical Rift Panel! Lets see how you like wearing your own mask," the teen snarled, the mask on Blue-Eyes' chest launching forward with a jolt before attaching to the monster across from it. "Burst Stream!"

The dragon gave a fearsome roar as its wounds repaired, droplets of blood staining the glass before vanishing in pixelated light as it released a blast of white flames, little evidence of its logic defiant injury remaining. The holographic beast before it stood little chance as it vanished in the fires, the great White Dragon returning to its place behind its summoner...

And in response, the 'Mask of Darkness' and his partner were quite clearly left panicked. "My... My life-points," the man muttered, swallowing nervously as he stared at the field, the strike having absolutely devastated his formerly impressive total. "My lifepoints..."

"H-Hey... Partner," 'Light' coughed nervously, waving his hands at the man, "Calm down, it's just one hi-"

"I attacked because you TOLD ME SO!" the man roared with a start, 'Light' shrinking back before scowling as his partner continued. "And now look what you've done, you shrimpy little shit! I'm just a scratch away from death!"

"Shrimp-!" The shorter ghoul snarled under his breath, red face greatly contrasting his white mask. "Well... At least I'm not some kind of 'ogre', mister 'big-boned'!"

"Hnhnhnhn... Hey now, the duel's still going," Yugi muttered with a grin, Seto still staring across the field with wide eyes in her continuing shock, the words between the three duelists barely registering in her mind. "You'll never beat us arguing like that..!" This...

Seto swallowed, hands held somewhat limply at her sides as she frowned. Again...

Yugi had just saved her again, but looking at the dragon beside her, at the monster that so clearly seemed to defy the laws of holograms and simple AI... " _...Grnnnn..._ " 'The power of Unity'...

Seto swallowed as her rival's words came to mind, eyes narrowing to slits as she thought. And just what sort of power was that supposed to be then? Hell, what 'was' power?

_'It's the only thing that matters,_ ' the ghostly tone of her late 'father' growled, Gozaburo's voice causing a shiver to run down her spine despite the fact that they were words she actively lived by. ' _That's what POWER is!_ ' In a fight, everyone other than yourself is the enemy, she could remember being taught. Your own strength and intelligence was what determined your win, your own 'power'. It was the weapon you used to crush your opponents and protect what was yours, to defend your territory and stake your claim on what would soon be added into it. And at the time she told herself, _it was just like in a game..._

And a game she thought for a moment, was just like real life. When it came down to it, you could only rely on yourself...

And yet...

Seto stared across the field, eyes closing over somewhat as Blue-Eyes 'sang' behind her, as the picture that she had reluctantly allowed Mokuba to leave in her room came to her mind, and as she felt Yugi's stare from beside her while the fierce yet comfortable wind of the battle blew about the field. The power that her rival had...

What he considered the 'power of unity', a phrase that went against everything she knew...

Could it be possible... That this was stronger than the power she held on her own?


	16. Flames That Whisper

Desperation hung heavily over the Ghoul's side of the field as the final minutes of their duel came close. Though only half had been struck well enough, with the other left at full health, the second of the 'Masks' had gone from almost full strength to a mere seventeen hundred with a single mistake. And thanks to that single strike, so too crumbled the supposed cooperation between the two masked figures as they argued and slipped into neat little cracks in their work. It would only take moments to divide that into a canyon.

And as the mask of 'Darkness' set a card face down that was more than obvious, with the ghoul scowling and red-faced in his more than evident panic. "Hn! Now it's my turn!" Seto roared, mutterings of power filling her mind as she stared across the field. "You think 'cooperation' is the key?" she spat, pointing her dragon forward while Yugi frowned in response to the remark, "Take this! The ultimate attack... Blue-Eyes! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!" she roared, the monster charging its flames in response. True...

It was so blatantly obvious that Darkness set a trap it was pathetic. But who said she wanted the attack to go through? "Heh... Reveal trap!" Darkness shouted, the holographic card swinging upward as a large and toothy steel mask appeared to shield its owner from Blue-Eye's flames. The heat washed over the roof of the building as Blue-Eyes growled, beating its wings in agitation as its former target continued to laugh. "Mask of Impregnability! Even your so-called ultimate monster can't break through this!" the man boasted with a laugh, Seto merely watching with crossed arms and a blank expression as the flames dissipated across the field. "Too bad Kaiba... I knew you'd try and wipe me out..."

"Hnhnhnhn..." Darkness appeared to lose the expression somewhat as his opponent chuckled, the blocked attack not phasing Seto in the slightest. "Yes... You barely escaped with your life didn't you 'shrimp'?" the woman 'asked' somewhat sarcastically, glancing at the white-masked ghoul as the man jumped. "You were lucky this time... My Blue-Eyes White Dragon could have taken out either one of you," she continued with a menacing smirk, the Mask of Light suddenly growing almost as pale as his mask. "You're a smaller target," she went on with a shrug, "But I suppose it doesn't matter..." No...

Not 'really'...

Hnhnhnhnhn... "After all," Seto said plainly, "If I had aimed at you... Would that moron you call a partner have used his spell card to protect you?" she asked, before answering for the ghoul. "No... No I don't think he would have, with such a high risk to himself," she muttered, eyes flashing somewhat as she continued to smirk. "Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"H... Ghk..!" Light stared across the field with wide eyes as the words struck home, his partner giving an audible swallow in response as he tensed, balking at the accusations. "W-What... Are you completely insane?" he roared as his opponent continued to smirk, turning to his partner with a still panicked expression in place. "Look here... There's no way he's right," the ghoul protested, visibly shaking as his partner stood in still silence. "If... If he'd attacked you instead," he continued with quivering breaths, "I'd definitely have activated that card, you hear that shrimpy! I swear on my life, I-"

"Don't call me Shrimp," 'Light' hissed, a broken grin on his face whilst he turned to leer at his partner, "Unless you want your throat slit..." Well. Death threats already ah? Hmp!

Well she supposed they weren't assassins for nothing... Light continued to rage from across the field as his opponents stared, angrily announcing his turn as he drew his next card. So long as they had Blue-Eyes they would have the advantage Seto told herself, the dragon in question standing on the concrete roof behind her and staring from between herself and Yugi. Its scales shimmered brightly beneath the sun's light as it stood, looking to its summoner with what amounted to a dragon's version of a grin. Heh!

No matter what, they'd won! They- "I'll play this spell card!" Light announced, setting the card on the field along with three others, the cards briefly appearing in a line across the field with their backs to the duelists. "Chosen One! I get to play three face down cards, one a monster, the others not," he explained, a top appearing before them as the cards he'd summoned circled around to form a slight triangle formation. Shit. Not this one... "This top will spin automatically," the man 'explained' clearly, eyes narrowed in deep contrast to his mask. "And when it stops," he continued, "If the mask is pointing at the monster I can summon it immediately, no strings attached..."

Which meant a very high level monster was probably in that pile...

Tch! "Now then! Start the wheel!" Light called out, opponents both growing pale as the device began to spin rapidly above the field. Crap. If that thing landed on the monster... There was a very, very high possibility that they were screwed over. The top was slowing down now, colours blurring together before again becoming separate 'blobs'. The mask was facing forward, hollowed eyes leering as it stared at its choice...

And as the card swung upward, the rest of the cards and top vanishing, she could hear nothing but her opponent's wild and wicked laughter, mentally cursing her own luck.

"HAH! Luck is on my side!" the masked man roared, a great and disgusting mass of flesh and bone appearing to the field. Standing on two legs with clawed arms the beast filled half the field, masks staring forward as a feminine torso and face appeared bound to the monster's chest. The 'woman' like the rest of the beast was left unidentified however, straps and flesh both holding her in place as the monster stood above them. It was a newer monster... But by far one she recognized, the woman thought with a swallow. "BEHOLD," Light announced, a digitized snarl filling the air as the new monster hovered before them. "The Masked Beast, Death Guardius!" Tch...

Death Guardius... A monster whose effects were unknown to her, but whose power was all more apparent. It was more powerful than Blue-Eyes, by three hundred points!

And what was worse the woman noted with a growl, staring at the two ghouls across from her with wide and enraged eyes, it'd convinced the idiots that they'd actually 'help' the other stay on their feet...

Because clearly human nature didn't play into things right? Augh. Damn it all...

Blue-Eyes wouldn't stand against that thing, and there was nothing in her hand to say otherwise. But...

The woman swallowed, glancing to the side with narrowed eyes as her rival stared at his hand. He was obviously sure of something in his hands. And on the field, his magnet warriors, Alpha, Beta...

There was one monster missing in Yugi's 'trio' however she noted, and if he pulled it out it would stop the Mask's 'no tribute' clause dead in its tracks. But only if that was what he was indeed planning. Logic told her it was- everything else...

"Lets see," 'Light' was muttering across them, Seto looking from Yugi's monsters to her dragon and swallowing another growl. "Who will be the first to step through Hell's gates..."

As the masked ghouls were about to say, Yugi would be killed in one shot if he was attacked right now. His monster in attack mode would be easily destroyed, and the eight hundred point price of his turn would do the rest. ...But...

...She didn't want that, she realized with a cold shudder, looking back at her dragon in the corner of her eye. Blue-Eyes would die if she prevented it, and she would be left defenseless in the aftermath but...

She...

_'Careful,'_ Darkness was muttering, turning to his partner with narrowed eyes, posture filled with suspicion. ' _If we leave Kaiba's dragon on the field,_ ' he continued worriedly, ' _He might be able to attack one of us..._ '

Light merely shook the request off, snarling under his breath. ' _Shut up,_ ' his partner growled, staring at his opponent with crazed eyes, ' _I'm killing Yugi, right now!_ ' Hn...

No. They weren't. "Hmph..." Seto put a fox-like grin on her face, arms crossed as she leered across the field. "So now that he has a decent monster on the field, the tiny little 'shrimp' thinks he's a 'big man'," the woman drawled, the Mask of Light growing dark-faced in response to the insult. Please work... "Hnhnhnhn... Go ahead and kill Yugi," she continued calmly, still smirking as her opponent grew more and more incensed. "I have cards in my hand that will power up Blue-Eyes even more after all... And on my next turn," Seto taunted lowly, smirk growing even darker, "She'll crush you both..."

"Gh..." One could practically hear and see the cogs turning in the Mask of Light's mind, Seto closing her eyes as the decision was made. Attack, or don't attack? Was she bluffing...

Or no?

In the end it looked more like using that single insult of 'shrimp' would fix it for her though. "Very well! I ATTACK BLUE EYES!" the man roared, the masked demon charging forward with another computerized howl. Bone claws slashed through the dragon's throat as it gave a strangled cry, scales torn open to reveal the inner workings of the monster's throat. Blood was pouring to the ground beside her as Guardius floated back to its position, the dragon seeming to cry before the blood and gore vanished from sight with the monster's dying body. A strange if not haunting hallucination...

Forgive her she whispered in the back of her mind, closing her eyes as she banished the image from her thoughts.

But she needed to do this.

"Yugi," the woman growled, eyes flying open as her field was left clean and clear, "It's your turn!"

It would be well worth it in the end, when she helped Mokuba out of these ghoul's grasp.

* * *

Drip...

Drip...

That was the sound that was filling the air in the small storage container he'd been locked in, arms tied tightly and painfully behind his back to the chair. His legs had been given a similar treatment as his body had, each tied to the leg of the chair he was on. There was something wet in the room, he could hear it. Maybe water leaking in from the 'roof', the bin could have a hole in it for all he knew. Really though, at the moment he couldn't have been bothered knowing. That dream he'd had while passed out... He'd seen...

Masks? Yugi and Seto, standing in thin air as they fought a pair of masked men... 'Light' and 'Darkness', his mind told him, before something else caught his attention.

"Well well well," an eerie and sophisticated voice cut through the air, light filling the bin from behind him before a slamming door and three shadows blotted it out. "You're finally awake..." A pair of steady flames filled the room with the voice, Katsuya swallowing as two men walked in along side a shadowed and cloaked figure. The trio walked toward the front of him, facing the blond with hooded and unseen features that prevented any recognizable points from being seen. This man...

"...Malik," the blond spat, running his tongue along the inside of his cheek as blood dripped in his mouth. Well. Obviously he'd been roughed up while he was off in 'dream land'... But this man. This vile, twisted son of a-

"Hnhnhnhnhn... So comforting to see that you remember me," the cloaked man muttered, voice seeming both familiar and foreign to the blond. There was no visible accent in the confidently held voice, none whatsoever. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if he'd heard it before... "It's even better that you would wake up as I come in," Malik said plainly, stepping forward with crossed arms. "I would hate to have had to use other means to do so after all, I'm a very busy man. And I prefer my dolls to be... Intact," he continued, chuckling darkly as his captive began rocking in the chair in a failed attempt to escape.

Katsuya only briefly stopped pulling at the chair, turning toward Malik with rage filled eyes as his vision adjusted to the darkness. "Tch! Like hell I'm b'comin' one 'f yer dolls!" he snarled, attempting to launch himself forward only for his chair to be held back by one of the still flaming ghouls. Gh-

Damn it! Malik shook his head, sighing as he pulled out a 'rod' of sorts from the folds of his robes. Another item... The blond swallowed as he looked at the 'horned' staff, its owner continuing to sigh as he stepped forward. "Hahhh... Yes well... I don't really have time to listen to words like that," he decided, rubbing the top of the rod as it gleamed in the light cast from his 'doll's flames. "So how about we get this over with?" he muttered, holding it in Katsuya's face as the teen swallowed. Crap.

Flames erupted from the staff with those words, the eye on the device appearing to grow and degrade into the same white 'mush' that built a true one, its single gold iris turning toward the blond with clear anticipation. Arms of fires lashed out from the staff's 'horns' as Katsuya paled, pulling and pushing back in the chair as the fires wrapped about his legs and burned across his skin.

"Gh- Get away from me!" he spat, the ghoul holding him finding the chair pulled from his grip by the panicked struggles, the bound victim trying and failing to crawl away while tied to the chair. Those in the room appeared to look at him with bizarre and amused confusion, their victim no longer caring for the appearance of sanity. "I told you," he spat, blowing still damp hair from his face as he bit back a shout from the flames that were spreading across his legs and waist. "You aren't gettin' anythin' from me!"

Silence was the blond's response as he hissed in pain, fires spreading up toward his chest. Gh- Hgn! "Hnn... Yes," Malik muttered with a sigh, fingering the staff in his hands, "I expected some form of resistance..." Again the leader of the Ghoul's fell silent, as though attempting to observe what only his victim could see; the burning flames of the rod in his hands, that which were appearing to sear into Katsuya's skin without leaving a mark beneath his clothes even as they dripped from the sea water of his previous duel. "Come on now," the ghoul drawled, stooping down to look at the blond face to face. "I'm sure there's something in that tiny little head of yours that hates your so called 'friend' the pharaoh..."

"An' I'm pretty sure tha' yer a loose-screw psychopath, but we can't all be righ'!"

More silence came in response to the spit he'd thrown at his captor as Malik stepped away, Katsuya biting his lip in the steadily increasing pain. Ow...

Ow ow ow, the fires hurt. He'd compare it to constantly getting stung by wasps, even fire ants maybe, but rather than giving him a bite or sting in its place as the pain died it merely continued to sear across his skin and travel across his body. The blond bit his lip as the flames filled his vision, seemingly burning away at his arms and legs as he attempted to escape. ' _kill_ ', someone muttered in his mind, Katsuya seething as he recognized the tones of the 'Millennium Rod' merging and mutating his own mental voice. ' _Kill, kill, KILL_! '

"Ghn... NNNH... NO!" he roared, the ghouls in the room staring as he continued to struggle with some renewed strength against the ties of his chair. "Go fuck yerselves y' rats!"

"Hnnn..." Another sigh met the air, the ghoul shaking his head before reaching forward. "Come on, come on now... You don't really think that now do you?" the item-bearer 'asked', pulling the blond up by his hair as Katsuya grit his teeth. Ffff- Let him go! The chair wobbled dangerously while it was held up in the ghoul's grip, Katsuya breathed haggardly and choking back a number of shouts of pain as the flames burned across his face. "Think about it?" Malik continued, 'kneeling' down and tilting his victim's head upward with the rod, "If your friend really cared, would you be in here, tied to a chair? Hm?"

"Tch... I already know where he is y' jackass, an as soon as he sends yer stupid masks t' hell he'll be right over t'... GHN!"

The blond clattered to the ground with those words, Malik having dropped him to stare in shock. Gh... Ow... "...So you know of the Masks," the man muttered under his breath, ignoring the writhing pain that his captive was going through on the ground. The chair was jerked to its rightful position once more, Katsuya's head falling forward as his captor chuckled. "Hnnn... I think I'll try something," the man continued with a sneer, pulling from the bottom of the Millennium Rod to reveal a gleaming, razor sharp blade of gold from within. What... A sword? The item had a sword! What was he doing with that though, what-

A stinging pain rushed across his right arm, cutting the thoughts short. "Ssffff!" Blood was spilling from his arm as the ropes were cut from around him, Katsuya pulled out of the chair by the back of his jacket before being tossed to the other end of the storage bin. "Ungh!" The flames dove into the open wound with seeming cheer and zeal as the blond bit his lip, curling in on himself as he bit back the immense and intensifying pain that resulted in an instant. Blood... The fires were going in through his... "Gnn... Hgnnn..."

"Open the doors," Malik said with a grin, his captive holding his arm as he writhed in pain. "Lets see what his little friend thinks of this new... 'Development'..."

"Gnnh..." The doors to the bin were thrown open, allowing him entrance to what looked to be a dimly lit warehouse. There was little time to adjust to the comparatively blinding light as he was kicked outside however, doors held open behind him as blood dripped to the ground. For a moment, he attempted to walk, pulling himself to his feet to stumble forward, but the pain was growing. Encompassing his entire body, forcing the teen to fall to his knees and clutch himself in pain. "Ghn... Ahhh... HA _AAAHHH_..." His head...

Katsuya gripped the sides of his head, curling in on himself as he attempted to fight off the flames covering him.

"AAAHHH!" His head, his HEAD! Like something was fighting to break out of his own skull, digging into every inch of him with sharpened blades. "HRA _AAAAAAAAHHHH_!"

"Jonouchi?!" a worried voice shouted, the blond pulling himself to his feet with wide eyes as he stumbled through the pain. No...

No that was Anzu, he couldn't, ah, AH _HH_! Fires were surrounding his vision, blocking every bit of the room's interior from his sight. Katsuya curled in on himself as he drunkenly swayed on the spot, a shadow moving in the side of the room as he swallowed. No no no no no...

' _Kill....KILL KILL KILL_!' "Ghng..." It hurt... It hurt so much damn it, if it would just stop please... "AAAAAGGHHH! MALI! ...GO BURN IN HELL!"

Footsteps were coming over the air, the pain reaching its zenith in toleration. "J-Jonouchi!?" Anzu's nervous voice shouted, the woman coming around the side. Don't... Anzu don't, don't, don'-

Something 'snapped' in the back of his mind amid the mental 'kill orders' and waves of hate.

The burning was still there but it was suddenly numbed, and what little vision he still had was blurred by the flames as the voices momentarily paused. Sharp pains that had riddled his body vanished at the cost of being unable to see them, a strange, pin-prick feeling coating his skin as the feeling of something attaching came to mind. Anzu was over there he told himself, slowly pulling himself up to a more upright position as he stumbled over to the woman. He had to make sure she was alright, get her out of here but-

But wait... Wait...

He'd wanted her to stay away, or else! He'd wanted to flee, to keep these fires as far from her as possible or else-

_'Kill._ '

No...

"Anzu," the blond whispered nervously, the sensations of his body slipping out of his grasp as his clouded vision began to fill with smoke and fires once again. "Anzu," he whispered, tears briefly welling up as he continued to grip his head, shaking himself as he stepped back in horror. "I think... I'm g-"

Gone.

"Jonouchi... Jonouchi!" the woman muttered, panicking as she reached toward the blond with her hand. Anzu took in a quick and hitched breath as the blond's hands fell to the side, drawing back and swallowing as she stared at her 'friend'. "What... What did they do..." Drip...

Blood was dripping from his arm...

"What did they do to you!" From his...

Head...

He wanted to tell her to run...

But the eye across his mouth kept his jaw clamped shut.

He wanted to run away himself...

But the eyes across his knees and feet held his legs firmly in place before moving them closer to what he wanted to protect.

And though every bit of him screamed about how wrong this was, his eyes watering in the back of his mind, the ones he was staring through were forced to remain blank and emotionless by the teeth that held them in place. Watching as his arm reached forward...

As the hand that wasn't his and was coated in crocodilian teeth grabbed Anzu roughly by the hair. Watching still as the woman screamed, pulled toward him with a rough 'tug', that the flames leaping from his hands and spreading across her body would have less distance to travel. A pillar of fire that took only an instant to arise, Katsuya's screams held back by the many rows of flaming teeth holding him in control. And as he dropped her, there was no more movement...

Merely a 'doll' crumbling to the ground before standing to its feet, blankly staring at the one who had caused the flames to catch hold as Malik came from behind.

"Ahhh... I thought that might do it..." No...

No, no _no_!

"Now," he asked, stepping forward and pulling his cloak off to toss it to the side, the fires in Katsuya's vision preventing him from discerning the man's identity as he turned to face them. "What is your goal, my dear 'new friends'..?"

"To kill the pharaoh," Anzu stated with a blank droning voice, eyes staring forward with no fixed target while she held the purse loosely in her hand.

"To kill Yugi," his own voice clarified, Katsuya's mental self growing pale and cold. No... No...

He couldn't let this happen! He couldn't let himself do this, he couldn't..! " _Those aren't my thoughts_ ," he 'hissed', 'shaking' his head with 'wide' eyes as the Ghoul before him chuckled darkly. " _THAT AIN'T ME!"_

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah... Heard it all before 'blondie'..._ "

That voice...

The sound of the Millennium Rod appeared to hover in his ear, Katsuya 'shuddering' as chuckling surrounded the body that was out of his control. Katsuya grit his mental teeth as the voice echoed through his ears, hair standing on end as the cackling grated his senses. " _Hello again 'Bright Eyes... Now how about we make this run last shall we..?_ " Oh god...

Oh god! " _You... You damn monster..._ " This wasn't happening... And yet it was, despite all attempts otherwise... " _GET OUT OF MY HEAD_! " Katsuya 'roared', voice unheard to all but himself and the spirit that now possessed it as they walked out of the warehouse and into the sunlight. " _Get out of my head you sorry excuse f'r an accessory! LEAVE 'S ALONE!_ "

Silence answered the blond as he 'cried' in his head, the sensation of collapse coming over him even as his body walked forward. And as he held his 'head' down chuckling again filled the air, filling him with an unbridled rage as he 'opened' his eyes to see fire yet again.

" _Oho-hooo! Now THIS is good... I knew you could see me from the outside kid, but from the inside?_ " The spirit chuckled darkly, the sound slowly growing into a mad cackle as Katsuya shuddered. " _We're going to have a lot of fun you and me,_ " the fiend continued, briefly bringing up a hand so that his host could see the grin forming in the teeth and eye that jutted from his palm. " _A lot of fun... Hnhnhnhnhnhn... HNHNHAHAHAHHAHA_!"

* * *

The destruction of her Blue-Eyes was a hard hit to her despite the minimal damage it dealt. It wasn't a blow to her pride or honor, nor was it even a blow that would put her in the 'red zone' of life points so to speak. The blow dealt seemed far more ground-breaking than that, putting a steady feeling of hate and rage around her as she stared across the field. Though her so-called partner had vowed to make up for the dragon's sacrifice, simply winning this duel did not seem to be the sort of action that would do such a thing she told herself.

Nonetheless even as the ghouls were congratulating each other, relief clear on their faces, Yugi was taking his turn, meaning that she would at least get halfway to her retribution. His lifepoints fell yet again as he drew his card, setting a separate one from his hand in place that moment as he stared at the cheering ghouls. "Too bad," he said clearly, the men across from him staring at the boy incredulously as the boy smirked. "You've fallen right into my trap, 'Ghouls'..."

The men continued to stare, one growing pale as the other went red. "What?" the taller muttered, eyes widening.

"That's impossible," Light roared, shaking his head as his partner held silent. "You're saying you were merely bluffing? But you hate each other!" he protested in rage, "THIS CAN'T BE!" Hn!

Hate or not, if it got things done she would live with it. "Believe it or not," Seto growled in clear distaste, "My dragon was merely a decoy; an even stronger monster will be replacing it momentarily," she continued, the ghouls both paling in response.

"But... The Mask," Darkness protested, both ghouls looking toward the 'restriction' mask on the field with swallows.

"Hmp! Did I say I was tribute summoning?" Yugi asked, card appearing on the field as he slipped the real version onto the duel disk. "Just sit back and watch- I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior!" the boy announced, the tiny winged robot appearing to the field before its card, "And now that all three are present on the field they can merge together into a new monster," he continued, the trio splitting into pieces to re-form in front of their summoner at a size far larger than their individual counterparts. "VALKYRION, THE MAGNA WARRIOR!"

The beast gave a loud and synthesized roar at the announcement, hovering above the glass floor with gleaming eyes. With thirty-five hundred attack points it stood, an enormous and winged stone warrior with a blade in hand... Hah!

"Take a good look at the power of 'unity'," Seto sneered, the enormous magnetic beast standing at the 'team's side, "And prepare to die for what you've wrought! Yugi!" the woman shouted, turning to her partner with still wide eyes as she growled. "Crush the fools who destroyed my dragon and took my brother! Team work is all well and good," she continued with a snarl, "But only their blood is going to make up for this!" Taking her employees, her brother...

They would pay, they would pay dearly for what they'd done!

And yet Yugi wasn't doing anything she realized, staring at the boy in incredulity and silence. He was merely staring across the field at narrowed eyes, staring at the grotesque monster that stood across them with a frown. Gh... What was taking so long...

Why! "What are you WAITING for?" she raged, jerking her head toward the field and glaring at her rival and partner. "My Blue-Eyes sacrificed itself to bring our your monster... It's plenty powerful enough to take them down, and we're wasting time! Crush them... ANNIHILATE THEM!" Seto continued with a near thundering voice, "I at least have the right to strike them down through your monster right now!"

And still the boy held silent, instead taking a card from his hand and setting it on the field with what looked to be somewhat regretful eyes. "One card face down," he announced, the card appearing before him as he turned to the side. "...Listen close Kaiba... Like you said, we don't have much time. But do you think you can get rid of the need for vengeance that's driving your thoughts right now?" he asked, the words coming out far calmer than one would expect in the situation. "If you can banish those emotions from your heart, right this moment," Yugi continued after a slight pause, "I'll attack." Wh-

WHAT! "Is that some kind of joke?" she hissed, expression of shock relatively unchanged as she turned on her 'partner'. The monster would clearly over power theirs, this was their shot!

The boy merely continued to speak, arms crossed as he faced the woman with a steady and calm gaze. "At times like this," Yugi said plainly, "Emotions like anger and revenge can throw off a person's judgment... Believe me when I say, I know exactly how much that judgment can be thrown," he added bitterly, a flash seeming to appear in his eyes with the words. "But if you're not thinking rationally," the boy added warningly, "You'll expose your weakness... And play right into your opponent's hands." Play into-

"I AM thinking rationally," Seto growled, fists clenched as she looked across the field. "And right now," she snarled, "I'm telling you to ATTACK!"

"Calm DOWN," her rival shouted yet again, before bringing his voice back down to a soft and contained tone to continue. "Only then will you actually be able to see our best chance to win... Our real trump card," he pressed, looking back across the field as Seto stared at her hand with grit teeth. "Our real strength as a team!" Shut up...

Shut up! The woman blinked, jaw loosening as she looked over her hand of cards with blank eyes. Her hand... Obelisk was in her hand she realized, a feeling of calm coming over her with the realization as opposed to the usual rush of energy and emotion. But as a God, three sacrifices were required, and with the Mask of Restrict-

...No...

The woman's eyes widened briefly, staring at the card beneath Obelisk's image. Soul Exchange... Use your opponent's monsters as tributes...

He...

That was right, she realized, staring across the field at 'Guardius' card. Guardius had an effect, when it died it would...

"No..." He couldn't be...

She looked to the side, staring almost calculatingly at Yugi's monster with wide eyes before turning back to her hand. No way... Valkyrion was supposed to be the trump, but Yugi intended for it to be a decoy as well hadn't he? He'd intended for the real trump card to be...

This one...

...Hmph...

The 'power of unity' huh, she thought with a mental chuckle, adjusting her crossed arms with a sigh. "...Yugi," she said calmly, taking in a deep breath as the wave of calm settled. She was 'contained' now... So. "Attack."

"Of course," the boy said with a smirk. "I thought you'd never ask." ...That wasn't even funny. "Go Valkyrion," Yugi ordered, the magnetic robot charging forward at his command, "Attack, with MAGNET SABRE! "

The sword cut into the mass of flesh before it with as much ease as it would with butter, the beast's two disproportionate halves hovering around the air momentarily. As the blade split through the monster across them a wide grin appeared on their opponent's faces, Yugi's unspoken fears coming to light immediately as 'Death Guardius' vanished into pixelated light. "There... I've taken out your monster," he muttered, face pale and stony as his opponents laughed. "So..."

"Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHA! That's what you think!" Light shouted with a grin, Seto momentarily tensing as a mask appeared on Valkyrion's face. "When Death Guardius is defeated in battle," the ghoul explained, "A part of the carcass detaches and comes to life... A mask," he continued gleefully, the split-faced device turning to stare forward as the monster switched sides. "Meant to deal out the monster's vengeance! The Mask of Possession," Light announced, Valkyrion hovering between himself and his partner as his opponents swallowed. Alright...

Phase one of whatever moronic plan was coming into play here, but if Yugi's face down wasn't what they needed they were good as screwed over!

"It's over," the masked ghoul was continuing to cheer, his partner sneering with a similar amount of haughtiness in play. "You're both out of monsters... And more importantly you're both out of tricks! Partner," Light shouted angrily, "You take Yugi... Kaiba's mine!" Oh was she now? "I'll make you pay," he spat, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward the woman. "Calling me a 'shrimp'... You think you're so great, standing as tall as you are? I'm going to enjoy watching you go down!" Tch...

Like it was her fault she was over six feet, that was a pain in the ass in Japan...

Darkness merely nodded in response to his partner's raging, crossing his arms as he looked across the field. "That's fine by me," he said with a slight frown, drawing a card as he took his turn. "Here I come... Valkyrion attacks Yugi directly!" he shouted, his opponent giving no reaction save to tap his duel disk.

"Hn! We'll see about that," Yugi said with a smirk, the card he'd placed swinging upward at the disk's command. "I activate this spell... De-Fusion!" The card flashed somewhat as Valkyrion fell to pieces, before vanishing from the field as its owner growled. "While you fall to your deaths, remember the reason you lost!" he continued with a shout, the enormous monster before them splitting back into three individual ones before returning to the opponent's side of the field. "Anger and vengeance!"

"GH-!" Darkness paled as the three monsters hovered before him. "No..!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... And now for my part," Seto muttered darkly, taking the two cards she needed and setting them on the disk with a leering grin. "Watch... I'll show you God..."

"God?" their opponents whispered, eyes wide. "But... But that can't be," Light said with a swallow, pointing to the mask in the air, "Mask of Restrict is still in play, you can't tribute summon with-!"

Oh please! "Read the fine print," the woman spat, crossing her arms as her spell activated and revealed itself to her opponents. "I can't sacrifice _my_ monsters to tribute summon... But sacrificing yours works just fine! I'm playing the spell card Soul Exchange!" she announced, the card hovering on the field as the three monsters each shot up in pillars of light. "And I'm using all three of your monsters for sacrifices!" Yugi chuckled beside the woman as storms appeared to develop in the air, clouds darkening as she broke into laughter. "BEHOLD!" she cried, thunder booming from above as the rainless storming sky converged above them. Low moans filled the air as dust and sand seemed to gather behind her, her laughter continuing to fill the air as the monster arose. "The God of Chaos and Storm... The Soldier of the Obelisk! HAHA _HAHAHAAAAA_!"

" _ **ROOOOOOOOHHHHH**_!"

Behind her on the building only the torso of the great god was visible to her opponents. Obelisk stood unbeknownst to her at a size far too immense to stand on the building after all, with feet that would easily destroy the very glass they stood upon. As it was the demon's shins were easily the size of train cars, with one sitting on the ground alongside the window while the other sat raised on the building's stair entrance. And as the God crouched behind her, a single fist resting on the ground behind them, its loud groans echoed through the air, wide wings of sorts spread upon his back in the same stone-like guise as his body. Hnhnhn... Hahahahaha! The power that filled the air... It was almost addicting, to the point where she wasn't even aware that her next words were partially mirrored by the monster itself. " _NOW DIE YOU PATHETIC WORMS..._

"GOD HAND CRUSHER!"

The result appeared to happen at the exact moment Obelisk's fist struck the Mask of Darkness, the ghoul's lifepoints extinguished immediately with the contact of 'God's raised hand. The fist appeared to force the man into the glass with an instant, crushing the support and shattering the floor beneath 'Darkness' before the 'bomb' could even explode. With so little time to react it was all the man could do to scream in terror, watching as glass fell forward along with him, rushing toward the main floor at breakneck speed.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... One touch from God is all it takes," Seto said with an almost crazed grin, Obelisk straightening behind her with a rumbling chuckle as well. "As you said before... ENJOY HELL!"

"Ha... HAAAAHHH!"

"P-PARTNER," 'Light' shouted, running to the edge of the destroyed skylight pane. "Partner!"

"AAAAHHHH! S-SHIT!" Screams filled the air, echoing out into the distance before abruptly cutting short, the remaining ghoul looking over the side while his opponents stared down in distaste. With a quick curse and a rustling sound the man had been blocked from view by a wave of fabric, the black masked ghoul now calmly floating down to the bottom by means of a well hidden parachute. The mask of Light sighed in relief, shouting down worried questions about his partner's health as Yugi shook his head from across the roof.

"Hn! A parachute?" the boy 'asked' with narrowed eyes. "I had a feeling you'd have some tricks up your sleeves..." Probably didn't expect this though, Seto growled mentally. "Some 'death match' this turned out to be," Yugi growled, a slight tinge of disappointment in his voice as he brought to words the thoughts of his 'partner' as well. The ghoul across from him merely shuddered under the combined glares from both Seto and Yugi, swallowing as he stepped back from the two. "Well," the boy continued with crossed arms, "Now that you've lost your team mate, you might as well give up and tell us what you've done with our friends... We've won," he he snarled, eyes narrowed sharply, "And whether you forfeit or not you'll be following after your partner soon enough!" Tch...

As if they were giving him the choice! "It's not over yet," Seto growled, dark 'grin' still in place even as Yugi turned his duel disk off. "You said it yourself, 'Mask of Light'... In order to win a tagteam match, both opponents need to be eliminated!" Or 'killed' as it were in his words, she added mentally. "Until you follow after your so-called partner," she snarled, "I'm not about to back down!"

Yugi turned to the woman somewhat incredulously, gesturing to the ghoul with a frown. "Kaiba, he's already lost his will to fight," the boy muttered, shaking his head as he looked at the quivering man across from them. "He's completely useless, there's no point! It'll only hurt our honor!"

"Pff!" Maybe his honor, but certainly not hers! "My honor is preserved by crushing the enemies that stand in my way... And in the case of fools who threaten what's mine, I plan on continuing with that path! I might have partnered up with you this match," the woman continued stonily, turning to Yugi as the boy frowned almost sadly, "But that was out of necessity and nothing more... No matter what happens in the end we will fight," she growled, narrowing her eyes. "And on that day I'll win... And I'll take your God card, before leaving you in the dust behind me..."

And nothing was going to stop that, she told herself. Nothing.

"Gh... Kaiba," her rival hissed, growing red before falling silent. Hn! As she thought...

What else would he possibly have said? Now, to deal with the scum on the other side of the skylig-

"Ahh..." The two boys turned as shouts came over the air, both looking over at the white masked man that had fallen to his knees before them. "Ahhh... _AHHHH_..." What in the hell was he..? The man gripped his head, ripping the mask off as he scratched and clawed at the center of his brow, hands burrowing into his hood as he curled inward and screamed. "AAAHHH! NO! NO!" he begged, shouts reaching a pathetic and pleading pitch as he turned his head skyward, "MALI-"

A sickening crack cut the man's voice off, head snapping jerkily to the side and holding still for a moment before the small-sized man pulled himself to his feet. "Ahhhh... Now that's much better," 'Light' muttered with a sigh, Seto frowning in shock as an accent identical to the man near the canal hit the air. "I just hate backseat drivers..." What...

How was this possible...

"I've been watching the entire time," the voice bragged, quite clearly a 'different' person than the masked man had been despite all common logic. "I have to say," he continued, "I'm impressed. That show of power with the God of the Obelisk... And to so accurately announce his presence too," the voice said with a chuckle, allowing the body to stand limp in the air, "My my... How appropriate..." Appropriate?

What was this man even talking about? "What the hell is going on here?" Seto manged to mutter under her breath, staring at the man before them with narrowed eyes. A chilled feeling had come over the air as the field cleared of holographic cards, the storm above vanishing as the two duelists continued to stare.

"It's Malik," Yugi hissed, narrowing his eyes and stepping forward. "Bastard... Malik!" he roared, glaring at the man as his hood blew back to reveal what looked to be an 'eye'. It was the same bulging pattern of veins across the man's head as had been seen on the man at the canal, Seto realized quickly enough, identical in shape, colour... An impossible feat, she told herself. And yet... "Stop hiding behind your henchmen and face me directly!" her rival shouted, Seto's eyes narrowing further as chuckling filled the air.

"Hnhnhnhn... I don't think I will just yet," the ghoul laughed, appearing almost ghostly with the pale skin of its host contrasting against the cloak he wore. "It's far more amusing to watch you squirm after all..."

"Gh..." Well she couldn't deny this 'voice' was good at pushing buttons, but besides that. What the hell was this... Malik? That wasn't... "That's not possible," Seto muttered, eyes narrowed. "'Malik' was at the canal," the woman protested, partially to convince herself, "This can't be..." And yet the voice...

The way he moved... _Wasn't_ moving even... "It is," her rival growled under his breath, answering the unasked question with a snarl. "He's controlling this man from a distance... Malik is the leader of the ghouls," Yugi continued with narrowed eyes, "He's the one who holds the third God card, and the one who likely ordered Mokuba captured!" Malik was...

Her third target then. And a much bigger target too with that last point in mind. Seto's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing to slits as the man before them spoke up once again. "Khnhnhn... An accurate assumption," he said with a chuckle, forcing the body into an awkward bow, "It's nice to speak with you directly 'Seto Kaiba'. I must say... You've both done a wonderful job of putting up with my men. Bought me some well needed time," Malik said with a drawling tone, "And thanks to that, my plan is moving quite swimmingly... By this point," he continued, "I have more than enough information on your decks, and on yourselves, to know that even with Gods in your hands you're no threat to me... Not now that I know what sorts of things will get you on 'edge', what sorts of things will push your buttons so to speak... Not while I possess Ra," the man 'clarified' with a wave, "The God whose power surpasses that of the other Gods combined... It's the ultimate card," Malik bragged with a chuckle, the body he possessed merely standing limply at the side of the broken glass window. "A card whose power can be rivalled by no other being on this earth..." The power of Ra...

It... Surpassed both of the others?

A buzzing noise took Seto's attention, the woman jumping as she grabbed the radio at her collar. Someone was calling her, which meant there was a chance it was-

" _Nee-sama!_ " a hurried, whispered voice muttered Seto freezing as her brother's voice came over the line, " _Nee-sama,_ " he asked quickly, " _Are you there? Are you alright?_ " Moku-

Mokuba!

She grabbed the radio subtly, turning slightly from the others on the roof as she held the 'transmit' button. "I'm fine," the woman whispered quietly, watching and listening as 'Malik' continued to go on speaking to her rival. "Mokuba," she continued seriously, "Where are you? I want you to describe very carefully where-"

"Nee-sama!" the boy hissed, cutting his sister off with a panicked whisper. "They have Anzu and Katsuya-nii! I... I managed to escape with Anzu's help," he continued, "But-"

"MALIK!” Yugi roared, Seto wincing slightly as the teen snarled at the ghoul before him. Thank God she wasn't holding the 'transmit' button on the radio, lest Mokuba end up more frightened than before... The boy before her was completely red with rage, shaking on the spot as his target stood 'emotionlessly' across from him. "What did you do to him?" he asked with a snarl, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH JONOUCHI?" Jonou-

Shit. " _Nee-sama,_ " Mokuba was muttering over the shouts, " _I've managed to get one of the company's helicopters... I'm coming toward your signal now,_ " he continued with an audible swallow, " _I can take you to where they were holding me after that, and we can help Anzu and Katsuya-nii esca-_ "

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." More chuckling came over the air, briefly stealing Seto's attention away. “This will be my best puppet show yet," Malik said smugly, the wind buffeting the cloak his host wore. "Your friends stopped being your 'friends' over half an hour ago my dear 'Pharaoh'... But hey! I'm feeling generous," he said with a chuckle, pulling two cards from the man's pocket before tossing them to the ground before them. "So here's a card, from me to you, and to your friend on the side... A parting gift," Malik added with an unseen grin, the cloak around his host causing him to appear to hover above the ground almost. "Because you see, when you do manage to find my newest puppets you're in for a real treat Yugi... So come on, meet them there... On the stage of the Damned..."

"Malik..." Yugi choked on his words as laughter filled the air, charging forward with a snarl. "MALIK YOU BASTARD!" Without warning the ghoul's body toppled to the side, Yugi running to the side of the broken skylight to shout down the synthetic 'chasm' of sorts as the Mask of Light's corpse toppled to the main floor. "MALIK!" Shit.

Not good. Seto paled, hurriedly tapping the side of the radio with narrowed eyes. "Double check Jonouchi's location and get here as fast as you can," she muttered under her breath, glancing to the side as Yugi slowly stood from where the ghoul had fallen. "And be careful," she added with a swallow, eyes shifting off to the other side of the building as she removed her hand from the 'transmit' button, duel disk automatically disengaging as she brought her hands back down.

A split second of silence passed before she received an answer, Mokuba likely nodding in response. " _...Alright nee-sama,_ " he said swiftly, a brief moment of static passing over the radio before she was left with silence. Alright.

He would probably be there any moment now then, but until that happened... "Kaiba..." The woman turned as Yugi came over, the boy's eyes wide with desperation as he stared at the woman. "Kaiba... Please! Tell me where Jonouchi is!" he asked, formerly red face now white with fear for the blond. "You said yourself you could track him down... There's a good chance Mokuba's with him," he added, "Just tell me where he is-"

"Mokuba just called in to say he's escaped," the woman said plainly, voice again undisguised as she walked to where Malik had dropped the two cards. She might as well get that out of the way lest time be wasted asking what happened at least. "He's the one who can track Jonouchi, not me," she added with a frown. After all- it was hard to make a satellite search without a computer on hand. The woman knelt down to look at the locator cards, keeping an ear open for the helicopter as she changed the subject. "Ahhhh, but would you look at this," she muttered, grabbing the cards from the ground and tossing one toward her 'friend'. "We've gotten our 'prize'... Locator cards," the woman continued, "One for each of us... I have six now," Seto said plainly, slowly pulling the cards out of her pocket as she stowed her deck safely away. "Therefore earning the right to participate in the final round... Moreover," she continued, sliding the locator cards into the duel disk one by one, "You also qualify now... And as host of the tournament, I have to congratulate you. Only those with the cards can access the location of the finals after all, so lets see..." She opened up the 'field spell' slot, clicking the last of her locator cards into place as Yugi shook with rage beside her.

"I don't CARE about the finals! I don't care about this tournament, about the God cards... I just want to get my friends!" the boy roared, locator card sitting at his feet as he snarled, "I need to save them... If Mokuba's escaped, then tell him to find Jonouchi, and HELP!" Really...

From the one who had lectured her on keeping calm? Here she was with a completely straight face while he was red and livid. Didn't he think she wanted her security guard back? Training employees took time...

Or at least, that was the excuse she was giving herself this time. The reason would probably change in another hour or so, not that she was saying anything. "Hn! Friends... I'll admit it Yugi," the woman said somewhat flatly, "Your power of 'unity', 'our teamwork'," she 'corrected', "Was what won that match we had just now... But in a real battle," Seto continued with narrowed eyes, turning the duel disk back on with a 'whirr', "The only person you can trust is yourself. Everyone else just gets in the way. That's my philosophy- I walk alone... And I always will," she spat, the disk clacking into place and settling on her arm. "And that will never change."

"But you of all people should know that you need to fight to protect what's important to you," Yugi protested almost desperately, shaking his head as he stared at the woman. "I've seen you outside of a duel... I've seen you with your brother, and with Jonouchi," he continued with a frown, "You can't deny you care! Can you really say you aren't worried about either of them?" Mokuba, no... Even though he was on his way now, there was still an uneasy feeling in the air about whether or not he would make it. And as for Jonouchi...

A flash came from the side, pulling her attention forward as the disk's entire 'field width' filled with light. "...Look," Seto said plainly, watching as the map of domino appeared holographically before them to distract her from the question that was now gnawing the back of her mind. "This is what happens when you gather six locator cards. A virtual panorama of the entire city... This ray of light you see here," she explained as she gestured to the pin-point 'tower' in question, "Marks the stage of the finals..." And from the looks of things, that location was...

Hn!

"Future location of the duel arena... Not very creative of him," she muttered under her breath, mentally shaking her head as Yugi continued to scowl at the side. Then again, it was a secluded location that would easily hide the airship... So she had to give Isono credit really. Slight rumbling could be heard in the distance with those thoughts though, a moving 'blob' visible from above in the corner of her eye...

So not much longer then.

"Kaiba I don't have time," Yugi growled as the woman turned her duel disk off, removing the locator cards and pocketing them as she stared out from the building. "PLEASE!" he shouted as Seto 'ignored' him, "Just make the call!" Now what were his words just before? 'Fight to protect what's important'? Tch...

Jonouchi was just some 'stray' that Mokuba 'let in' damn it, that was it, _that was IT_! There was nothing more to it, and when it came to the point he was never the target to begin with now was he? To protect what was important...

"Hn... How about I ask you something then?" she decided, turning back to Yugi with narrowed eyes as the boy frowned. "You care about your 'friends' so much... But if the friends you desire to protect really did turn against you," she asked somewhat testily, "Then what are you going to do? If the only way you can move forward to your 'destiny' is to run them into the ground, what will you do?" Seto pressed, crossing her arms as the winds began to blow back under the approach of a helicopter. "Answer me that..."

Yugi froze at the question, eyes widening briefly before he looked away with a deep breath. "I... I don't know," he said with a swallow, before regaining his confident mask once more. "But I know where I'll find the answer," he continued. Well...

They'd better move it then hadn't they, she thought with a small smile, watching as the helicopter dropped a ladder to the roof. Mokuba... "Nii-sama!" the boy shouted over the wind, taking the precautions concerning his sister's identity as he held the door open. "Nii-sama! I did what you asked," he called out with an expression of mixed relief and worry, "He's still there, at the pier! That's where they have Anzu and Katsuya-nii!"

"The pier..." The woman's rival stared with wide eyes as Seto walked toward the ladder, shaking his head. "Kaiba," Yugi whispered, turning to her in shock as the woman climbed up into the helicopter. "You..."

"Grab your locator card and get in," she shouted, moving past her brother and disguising her voice once again. "We're going to where Jonouchi is waiting!"

This time, there was no arguments or hesitation whatsoever as the teen hurriedly did just that. And as they took their seats in the helicopter, destination decided, it was all they could do to sit back and wait. Now then...

To get the answer to her 'question'.

* * *

If there was ever a definition to 'hell' Katsuya decided, it was probably either close or at least better than this. For despite all the stories of what a horrible place it was, it seemed as though nothing could possibly be worse than what he was going through at that moment. He couldn't see, couldn't move...

He couldn't even speak, the only exceptions to the rule being the accursed shade that was forcing his body to walk in the first place. Forcing him to walk toward the edge of the pier at Domino's harbor as preparations were made for some 'duel to the death' that Malik had planned out. And what was worse, that same spirit of the Rod seemed to have a nasty habit of being a snobbish little braggart about the entire thing, gleefully contemplating what sorts of conversations they would have throughout the torturous matter. And the source of all this hell was standing right in front of him...

Hidden by a wave of flames. " _Bastard... If I could just see who you were_ ," he muttered under his breath, glaring at the silhouette that was Malik as he and Anzu were led along the pier in an almost sheep-herding fashion.

" _Hnhnhn... Maybe you never really_ could _see_ ," the Rod muttered with a chuckle, still forcing the blond's eyes to stare at his palm that he could watch the shade 'speak'. " _Looking in your head here,_ " he continued rather darkly, " _There's a lot of stuff that isn't 'real' to the rest of the world after all... Why... I'm amazed you can even keep track of what's what 'Blondie! Hahahahaha!_ " That was probably the only thing that made being 'mind-controlled' worse.

This prick could see everything in his head, 'sane' thoughts or no. " _Tch... Shut the hell up!_ " Katsuya snarled, only to shudder as he was given a closer view of the eye on his hand yet again. The eye appeared to blink sadly, teeth closing over somewhat as its host continued to shiver with repulsion. " _Gh... You're more disgustin' than Parasite Paracide_ ," he muttered, the tiny 'insect' coming to mind as the hand was lowered. " _At least that thing didn' take over my head_!"

" _Ooooohh... Please! I'm only calling it as it is,_ " the Rod said with a 'sigh', before again chuckling as its teeth chattered. " _After all_ ," it drawled almost sarcastically, " _There are 'rules' to the whole 'mind-control' sh-bang; you gotta really dig deep to get these things! You want something to happen,_ " the spirit continued to explain with a surprisingly severe tone, " _You need to have the base emotions first... The base desire... This hate you feel, this rage and anger for your so-called 'best friend'... That's not my doing,_ " the Rod continued, teeth creating a leering grin as the spirit chuckled. " _That's allllll you... Those whispers to kill in the back of your mind... Well you were always a killer weren't you 'Katsuya'? You've done it before... And not just once,_ " the spirit added, his host growing pale and cold with the words. " _Not just once... You can't keep secrets from me boy! A killer is a killer, no matter how you spell it and wrap it up! It was just a matter of time before something like this happened_ ," it shouted with a cackle, " _I'm just speeding things up! Body's just the mind's play toy when you get down to it after all... And instinct is just instinct!_ " Shut up...

SHUT UP! Those memories were... " _Get outta my HEAD_!" the blond roared, mouth refusing to move even as he walked at his slow and steady pace. " _LEAVE!_ "

" _Hnnn... no,_ " the spirit 'decided' after a short pause, bringing back his hand and forcing Katsuya to stare forward rather than at the ground. " _No I don't think so. But seeing how we're such great friends_ ," the Rod continued with a sigh, " _How about I give you a 'treat'?_ " He didn't want any kind of treat this thing had damn it! " _Oh come on, don't be like that!_ " (Mind reading, right...) " _Just listen! I'm bound to keep my dear lord and master's identity under-wraps for the moment, but how about we clear things up a little for you... Give you a REAL show hah? Hehehehehe..._ " What? What the hell did that even mean-

The blond jumped as his senses were returned to him abruptly, vision clearing save for a pillar of flame representing Malik standing at the side. He...

He could see and feel himself again! He could smell the salt water on the air, see Anzu in front of him, feel the wind blowing across his still wet and now just as cold body and-

"Hey!" a man behind him snarled, shoving Katsuya forward as the blond mutely stumbled. Gh- The blond 'scowled' in response to the push, unable to turn back as the ghoul continued. "Keep moving!" Tch...

He got his feeling back but he still couldn't do anything... Damn it. " _Oh but naturally you're still under my control_ ," the Rod said with a chuckle, evidently quite amused by the grave disappointment in his host's mind. " _What, you thought I'd be that stupid? Please... I'm the embodiment of a collective of powers you can only barely grasp and comprehend! And with a head like yours_ ," the spirit spat incredulously, " _I'm surprised you can do even that..._ "

Katsuya merely growled in response to the comment, staring forward as his 'guide' rattled off about the powers of the device that was currently speaking to him. " _Tch..._ " Nothing but a foot-long dagger topped with a 'winged' eye, and yet this one had to be the one with flames and teeth! " _Bastard..._ "

" _Come on,_ " the Rod laughed, " _You and I both know you can do better than that!_ "

The blond merely continued to growl as he was led off, watching as a second 'pillar' of fires appeared from the side before scowling further. " _What th'- I thought you said you were only protectin' Malik y' stupid flaming rat!_ " The spirit chuckled with the continued cursing, his host listening as the man offered up what was apparently twelve locator cards. Twelve!

Malik actually hired someone to card hunt for him? " _Hah! As if I'm revealing him to you,_ " the Millennium Rod snorted, rolling its eyes. " _This guy's important.. The only way you're getting his name is if you somehow manage to beat it out of my actual being... And I'd eat my physical body if you managed that!_ " He would love to see that, he really would...

Get rid of a few problems that was for sure... And-

" _What th-_ " Katsuya growled as his arm was snatched up by the ghouls at the side, the disk on his wrist manhandled as card upon card was slipped into the deck holder with his other ones. " _What the hell!_ "

"Give him as many direct damage cards as you can," Malik was shouting, chuckling under his breath. "Make that deck so hot that he'll be singed by his own flames," he continued, the blond behind him scowling darkly behind the mask of indifference the Rod had instilled.

" _It would prob'ly already singe me y' DICK!_ "

" _Ohhhh, but who's checking?_ " the Rod laughed, eye 'shaking' with a grin.

" _SHUT UP,_ " the blond snarled, only for 'his' mutterings to fill his mind. Kurose, kurose, kurose- Kill, kill, kill... " _And stop that muttering! You're pissin' me off!_ "

" _More than I already am you mean?_ "

" _I swear t' god when I figure out how I got rid 'f th' eye I'm doin' th' same to you,_ " he spat, 'clenching' his fists as he growled.

" _Hnnn... You know,_ " the Rod muttered, his host watching as the area was cleared of all other than himself and Anzu, " _From what I can tell from your memories, that wasn't you..._ " Shut. The fuck. Up, he thought darkly, getting continual chuckles as the wind howled around the two. If he was going to be stuck standing here, he'd rather get some form of silence...

_-Hiiiiikariii noooo moto... Yami wa u-ma-re~-_

What th-

Katsuya jumped as music rang through the air, the Millennium Rod allowing him to turn toward the source as it continued to play. Besides the fact that he'd just finished praying for silence, wasn't that...

" _Anzu's phone..?_ "

" _Hnnn..._ " The Rod appeared to 'stare' at Anzu for a moment, the single eye on the woman's brow turning downward as it narrowed. "Who is it?" the spirit barked, Anzu reaching into her purse almost robotically to find the answer to the question as the music continued.

- _Fuuureta yoooru o... Ko-o-ra-seTE mo!_ -

- _click_

The phone was flipped open as Anzu stared blankly at the screen, music cutting short as it was connected through to the other line. " _Oi, Anzu_!" a familiar voice shouted, the sound of muttering audible in the background despite the slight garbling. " _Are you there_?" Honda asked, voice left somewhat more difficult than usual to recognize from the sound of the phone. The woman holding the device continued to stare, the eye seeming to consider its options as Honda continued on the other end. " _...Anzu? ...Anzu, can you hear me_?" he asked, the boat beside them giving off a loud blare from its horn as he shouted through the phone. " _Anzu? ...Anzu_!"

"...Turn it off," the Rod muttered in the end, the phone only briefly remaining on the line before it was folded over. "It's no one we need to speak to..."

" _Tch... Like hell that's true,_ " Katsuya growled, narrowing his eyes.

" _Ahh..._ " The Rod laughed, bringing the blond's hand upward once more to 'speak' to his host as Katsuya shuddered. " _But really my dear 'Katsuya'... Just who is asking you?_ "

* * *

"Man," Honda muttered as he walked down the aisle of the train they were in, a number of bento boxes stacked in his arms. "I finally got her to pick up but all I got was silence and a horn..." The teen pocketed his phone with a scowl, those from the seats he'd stopped by turning as he took his seat.

"Still no luck calling your friends then?" Keiichi asked as he was handed two of the bento boxes, handing one of them to Shizuka as the girl nodded her thanks. There was a nod from the teen as he frowned somewhat worriedly, handing the last of the boxes to Otogi as he opened up his own. "Huh... So after all that you got nothing then," he said with a slight smirk, shaking his head. He'd been trying to call since they left the train station. The fact that there hadn't been a single answer was apparently worrying.

The teen scowled as Keiichi continued to chuckle, Otogi merely rolling his eyes as he opened up what would be his 'dinner'. "Right... We can find out why Anzu's cell is broken when we get there," he said with a shrug, snapping his chopsticks apart with a frown. "For now lets just eat; we'll probably be in Domino within the next half hour," the teen continued seriously, "And I don't want to carry this around all evening..."

He looked over at Honda at that, the teen laughing nervously in response. "Ahahaha... Yeaaaah," he said with a cough. "There was a bit of a line and it cost more than I thought so..."

"We don't care," the shorter of the boys muttered, swallowing a large mouthful of rice as the tallest growled.

"Gh-! Ryuzaki..!"

"BACK to the point," Otogi shouted, Shizuka shaking her head as the boys argued while she ate. "Are you sure she just couldn't hear you?" he asked Honda, the teen shrugging.

"Not really," he admitted. "I don't _think_ she could hear me though... I mean, it got really noisy as I was asking about that, and all I could hear was this blaring horn..." Honda proceeded to mutter off to himself about what the horn could be at that moment, digging into his food as Shizuka put her own dish to the side.

"Hahh... I wonder how Katsuya-nihan is doing," the girl muttered, the boys turning as Shizuka calmly smiled at the thought. Honda blinked for a few moments, tilting his head as a bit of rice dropped from his chopsticks.

"Eh..."

"Nihan?" Otogi asked, Keiichi rolling his eyes as the two held their tongues. It was an accent, live with it...

God... Honda quickly nodded despite the gesture remaining unseen, grinning as he continued to eat again. "Jonouchi?" he said with a laugh, "I'm sure he's doing great! I mean... ...Ah..." The teen paused, attempting to find something more to say as his friend elbowed him.

"If you say you taught him," Otogi muttered under his breath, "I'm not helping you out of the hole you're digging yourself..."

"A-Ahhhahahahaha..."

Shizuka laughed somewhat as Keiichi blankly stared in silence, before again shaking her head with a sigh. "You know," she muttered, the others turning as the girl leaned back in her seat, "Nihan wasn't very good at cards before," she said, rubbing her neck before smiling. "I guess he's gotten a lot better hah..?"

Her friend snorted, a grin coming over his face as he swallowed the last of his food. "Hah! More than 'better'," Keiichi shouted with a laugh, "He was over half-way into qualifying for the finals by the time I left! You wouldn't believe how much better he's gotten," he continued, shaking his head. "Heck... Maybe you two can have a match while we're there," the teen added, grin softening to a smirk as Shizuka nodded.

"Hah... Yeah!"

Otogi blinked as the two friends shared this info, trading an odd look with Honda before coughing. "Er... Hang on?" he said confusedly, the others turning toward him as he continued. "You two both fight each other constantly right? You're practically rivals aren't you?" he went on, shaking his head. "So why are you..."

"Pff!" The teen snorted, leaning against his seat with a grin. "I didn't say he was 'better' than me," Keiichi said with a smirk, crossing his arms while the black-haired teen continued to stare.

"Then... Then why are you here?" Otogi asked, the teen across from him instantly tensing up in response.

"Gh-! Because my opponent was a dirty cheat, that's why! And if it weren't for him giving back my card I would have-"

"AHHH!" The three jumped as Honda gave a shout, smacking his palm with a look of realization. "I got it... I know where I heard that sound!" he continued, the others 'staring' more or less as the teen beamed. That was great, that really was, but what the hell was he talking abou- "A boat horn... It was a boat horn," he said with a grin, "They're at the pier!"

"A pier?" Keiichi muttered incredulously, Shizuka as well tilting her head in confusion.

"But.. Why on earth would they be there?" the girl asked, frowning somewhat.

"Ah..." The other two paused, trading frowns as they shrugged. That was a really good question.

Pity it would take another half hour before they could head over and get the answer to it.


	17.  Where Katsuya Waits

Steady rumbling filled the air around them as the helicopter traveled above Domino district, the sound only barely filling in the otherwise silent time. After the duel above the skylight sirens had begun to fill the air, ambulances rushing toward the building they'd left- they would only be transporting a corpse however, if the corpse was left behind at all.

The storm above had since cleared thankfully. Mokuba mentioned just briefly, that they'd had some problems with the wind, but other than that all he mentioned doing was calling in ambulances for the guards and Matsuda, the three having apparently been left where they were attacked. So far all three were still out cold.

As to the reasons, the doctors had yet to say.

There was little that could be said for the situation other than that. The only words that entered the air after leaving from the northern areas of the district came from the helicopter pilot as he announced their coming arrival, the man yet another of the few in Seto's employment who was 'fully trusted'. Which was fairly interesting to find, given his fairly 'radical' appearance. Apparently he was... Russian? Even she had to wonder how that explained anything when it was given as the excuse but really, compared to the _rest_ of her 'house staff'...

Tattooed pilots were within reasonable limits.

Nonetheless the pilot's announcement was answered almost immediately with a look out the window from Yugi, a nervous fidgeting motion from Mokuba as he looked to the side, and a steady silent stare toward the ground from Seto as the woman bit her lip. "...Nee-sama?" Mokuba said after a few more moments of silence, looking back from the door with hesitancy. "Do you think... Do you think they're okay?" he asked, the others turning from the side with either worried or blank expressions in place. "I only saw Anzu," he admitted, turning away as the others continued to stare or listen in silence. "And she didn't know what happened to Katsuya-nii," the boy continued with a swallow, "So do you think..."

The two bit their lips with the question, Seto merely turning her gaze to the ground again before looking at her rival. To answer that question when a gnawing feeling of dread was still hanging over them and growing would be impossible without lying. The fact was, if Jonouchi was in perfect health she'd be surprised... Much as the thought brought a feeling of cold loathing.

"Yugi," she asked, dropping the hoarse cover for the third time that day as she steered the topic in another direction, "The leader of the ghouls, 'Malik'... As far as I'm concerned," she said with a somewhat justifying tone, "He's just another enemy." Someone to defeat- possibly kill, not that Mokuba needed to hear that. "How much do you know about him?" she pressed with a frown, the boy beside her frowning almost confusedly in response. "Besides the fact that he has Ra," she added, narrowing her eyes somewhat.

Yugi turned his gaze away for a moment as his eyes closed slightly. For a moment, it seemed he wouldn't speak. In the end however he leaned back on his seat and stared at the wall across from him, taking a deep breath as he answered the woman. "...I've never seen him," he admitted somewhat quietly, the topic both distasteful and depressing all at once. "He only speaks through his 'Ghouls'. All I know is that in addition to 'Ra'," the teen continued with a swallow, "He has a Millennium Item, similar to mine."

Millennium Items- Again? _Really_? "An item..." And Pegasus wasn't enough to deal with? Hell even Ishizu's passive-aggressive fortune telling was bearable, but there was _more_? "Tch... Just what we 'need'... More bullshit," she growled, arms crossed.

There was a short span of silence with the comment, the others shifting somewhat awkwardly before a cough came from the younger of the group. "Is... Is this going to be like when we first met Bakura?" Mokuba said worriedly, his sister momentarily paling at the reminder of her brother's tale. "Could it be that Anzu and Katsuya-nii were..." Were rendered just as comatose as the guards? A good question, though as their 'friend' responded it became clear that he'd interpreted the question differently, the apparently older of the three shaking his head hurriedly as he frowned.

"No," he said rather quickly. "As far as I can tell there's no hidden spirit locked inside that item... Instead," Yugi continued with a swallow, "The Millennium Rod holds a strong, dark power. More so than the puzzle, the ring... Possibly even the Eye," he muttered darkly, growing somewhat pale as he thought to the object. Yes, the eye... While she could really care less about what happened to that thing, just where _did_ it go after the man died? "Malik can control a person from any distance using the Rod's power, seeing, hearing and even speaking through them. From what I can gather at least," he added, narrowing his eyes. "There could be more to it than what we know... So far however, it's 'brainwashing' from any way you look at it."

Brainwashing eh... So the 'Millennium Item of hypnosis pretty much. Hn! "I find that a little hard to believe," Seto muttered, a frown on her face. She turned somewhat to her rival, the frown deepening somewhat with confusion. "Hypnosis as a whole can't convince someone to do something against their inner morals. You could shout all you want for a hypnotized victim to kill someone else, but if they don't want to, they won't do it. And even if such a power even exists," she continued with a slight scoff, "What would you want to bet that this set up is a fight? I've heard the 'Mutt' comment about wanting to duel you after all... He would probably easily be convinced of at least that," the woman muttered, looking away in thought as she rolled the 'idea' around her mind.

Mokuba frowned at that, tilting his head in confusion before voicing his protests. "But nee-sama, why would the Ghouls kidnap me and the others just for that?" he asked with a frown, Yugi merely looking away with a somewhat conflicted expression in place. "If it was just to have a duel they were going to have anyways..."

"No... There's more," Yugi muttered under his breath, the others again turning to him with frowns. "There has to be... Malik's intentions aren't just to gather the God cards after all." They... _Weren't_? There was a slight pause, Yugi's face twisting with discomfort as he continued. "He's said it quite clearly that he wants me dead," he said bluntly, Mokuba gulping from the side as the helicopter fell silent.

Hnn... This was a problem. Beyond the amazing habit of everything centering on Yugi, this put an entirely new light on things. If Malik wanted Yugi dead, he'd made it clear that he was capable of that already. The leader of the ghouls was playing, toying with them like a cat with its prey. Giving them 'fair chances' with drastic consequences. Which meant that if any of this was real, _any_ of it... "If this power exists," the woman whispered, lowering her voice to keep her brother from hearing as she leaned toward her rival with narrowed eyes, "And you are, against all logical meaning, _right_... What do you want to bet that this fight is going to be a lot more than just a 'duel between friends'?" Yugi grit his teeth in response to the question, flushing as he averted his gaze from his rival.

"Kaiba... No matter what happens," Yugi hissed almost angrily, "I will do _whatever it takes_ to get him back." The teen held a steady glare, Mokuba looking at the two oddly from his seat as they continued the hushed conversation.

He'd avoided the 'answer' again... Tch. Seto's frown deepened, eyes narrowing to slits as she shook her head. "You can say that now," she growled lowly, "But can't you even answer a simple question?" Her rival tensed at the accusation, listening nonetheless as his rival continued. "You've been going on and on about your Power of Unity," the woman muttered under her breath, "But you're completely lost without that 'power' aren't you _Yugi_? If you have to fight one of the people you care about, you'll just freeze completely won't you?" Yugi's eyes widened at the continued statements, watching as his rival moved to sit back against her seat with a slightly eased scowl. "I suppose I'll be getting my answer soon enough, won't I," she said plainly, turning her gaze to the helicopter window, eyes appearing almost distant with the words. "When I see whether or not your 'power of unity' is strong enough to surpass this so-called power that Malik has..."

When she found out how strong the mutt really was she found herself thinking, before a shout pulled her attention back to reality. "Ah!" The two teens turned as Mokuba pressed his hands against the window, the boy staring at the pier below as the helicopter made to touch down a short distance away from the docks. "There!" he shouted with a grin, laughing. "I can see them... They're alright!"

They were- "They're alright!" Yugi as well looked out of the window at those words, both boys oblivious to the frown on Seto's face. Alright. This was definitely a trap but... _Alright_? If they'd been kidnapped or stored in a warehouse like Mokuba had said there was no way they would be 'alright'! At the very least Anzu would be fretting about whatever they'd escaped.

"I'll be in here if you need me," the pilot muttered with slightly accented Japanese as the helicopter began to land, doors opening as it touched down for Yugi to run out. The device had barely powered down as the teen charged forward, panic and relief both on his face as he charged toward where his friends stood in the distance.

"J-Jonouchi!" the teen shouted, eyes wide as the others stepped out to follow. They weren't moving... A cold pit began to form in Seto's stomach as her brother charged after Yugi, swallowing as her rival continued. "Anzu, Jonouchi!" They weren't _answering_... "Are you alright?" Yugi asked, the boy's friends merely standing with shadowed eyes as the others moved close. It seemed only now to hit the older of the group, the teen paling and coming to a stop as a cold wind blew past. "J... Jonouchi?" he whispered, eyes wide and questioning as he was briefly answered with silence.

Low chuckling filled the air, Seto's eyes narrowing as Mokuba as well slowed to a walk with wide eyes. "K-Katsuya-nii?" he shouted, swallowing a wave of unease as he watched something red drip from the teen's right arm. There was a tear in the jacket, the jacket her brother had bought the blond, a tear that was stained with near-black shades of red as the fabric absorbed bits of blood from the wound beneath. "Katsuya-nii, you're bleeding..." Yes... It was slow thankfully, only a slight 'drip' from the middle finger due to gravity's always constant effects, but the fact remained.

He was bleeding and he didn't care at all. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." This wasn't right. " _Yugi_ ," the blond called out with an eerie tone, holding his voice at a far more dangerous level than normal. His hands were moved to an open and 'friendly' gesture as he grinned, eyes appearing blank as he continued to chuckle. "I've been _waiting_ for you..." Something was wrong Seto repeated in her mind as she stood between her brother and the helicopter. Something was horribly, horribly wrong with that voice...

It wasn't the carefree laughing one that had her pulling her hair out without fail, nor was it the oddly wise and brotherly one Mokuba was familiar with, a tone that she herself had occasionally heard in moments when the mutt was completely serious about what he said. It wasn't even the stupid, confident drawl he had when she walked in on him during security shifts, or when he was trying to prove himself beyond what were his limits. It was just wrong. Chilling.

Murderous even. The voice of a killer, of someone who wasn't just about to kill but one who _had_ killed, and quite willingly so. This...

Was _not_ Jonouchi's voice.

"...Katsuya-nii?" Mokuba shouted worriedly, the blond paying him no mind as his 'employer' swallowed in unease. "Katsuya-nii," he asked again, "What are you doing..?"

"...Malik's got him," Yugi answered with a growl, before narrowing his eyes and swallowing. "He's got them both," he whispered, glancing at the woman that stood motionlessly behind his friend. Beside them a horn was shouting from a docked ship, the three glancing at the boat before looking back to the blond. "...Jonouchi... Wake up!" Yugi shouted, wind blowing past them in the resounding silence as the teen cried. "Do you remember that sound?" he asked somewhat desperately, "It's the same sound we heard when we were looking for the boat that would take us to Pegasus' island!"

The boy beside him nodded somewhat nervously, catching on to what his friend was trying to do. "Katsuya-nii!" Mokuba continued with a shout, "You went there to get me back remember? You went there because Pegasus kidnapped me! You had made a promise to Seto-niisama," he reminded the blond, "To bring me back, no matter what! You were even shot, that's where the scar on your head came from!"

For a moment, Jonouchi appeared to tilt his head, as though running the phrases through his head. There was a part of her that wished this was all some elaborate joke. That in just a moment the dog would break into a proper, honest grin, so that she could throttle him for being the idiot he was. But if she had even _begun_ to think that Jonouchi had been joking, his next words would have snapped her out of it, the single statement sending a shiver down all three of their spines. "Those words mean _nothing_ to me," the teen muttered, hands digging into his pockets as he looked down at the boy. The stare he gave was cold and dead, and after Mokuba forced himself to turn away from unease the blond looked back to his 'best friend' with a half-hearted sigh. "I'm just interested in fighting _you_ ," he stated plainly as he looked to his friend, "In a duel of life or death... Right here and now."

"No..." Yugi shook his head, repeating the phrase multiple times as he grew white. " _No_ ," he whispered, Mokuba as well going pale as he stepped back from the three in front of him. "No that's not true! Jonouchi... Don't let him control you," the teen begged, stepping just slightly closer as the slow wind continued to pass. "You're not thinking straight! _Please_!"

More chuckling filled the air in response, Mokuba looking back to his sister with almost pleading eyes as Jonouchi spoke. "Thinking straight?" the blond said with a snort, shaking his head as the woman before him growled under her breath. "Oh trust me... I've never felt better," he said with a sneer. "It's been a _long_ time since I could think like this... Since I could think this clearly," Jonouchi 'clarified', a sadistic grin coming over him as he went on. "I can't even _begin_ to list the ways I could kill you right _now_..."

As her brother stared at the blond in shock Seto clenched her teeth, storming forward to pull the boy behind her and out of Jonouchi's line of sight. "Jonouchi!" Yugi was shouting, shaking his head as the woman behind him moved to take protective measures. "Please, _listen_! We made a promise... I want to fight you, I really do, but not like this! We're supposed to fight as friends!" the teen protested, “Not as enemies with our lives on the line!" An audible swallow followed the words, Yugi shaking his head as he breathed deeply. "We... _You_ made a promise," he continued with a shout, "You asked me... ' _If I do alright in the tournament, and I can call myself 'ready' for Red-Eyes again, will you fight me?_ ' Those words..." The teen again shook his head, looking down briefly before continuing. "The reason I came this far was because of those words, because of that promise! But this isn't the battle we're supposed to have, this isn't-"

That was it!

"SNAP OUT OF IT, JONOUCHI!" The two boys outside Malik's control turned, eyes widening briefly as Seto leered at the blond, the woman stalking forward with a growl. "If you think you can do exactly what I ordered you _not_ to do as my employee," the woman continued stiffly, "If you think I'm going to stand by and let this happen, you have another thing coming... Either you wake up _now_ ," she continued with a snarl, "Or you can 'wake up' in a-"

"Shut up, Kaiba."

... _What_.

"K... _Kaiba?_ " The woman repeated almost at a whisper, the others growing just as white as the blond turned to walk away. His response had come within an instant, expression cold and unchanging and voice not faltering one bit.

And in the silence that single statement had brought about Jonouchi continued to laugh, looking back briefly as he walked toward nearby dock. "Come on Yugi," he was saying with a leering grin, "The stage has already been set for your demise... _You don't want to be late do you_?" This...

The accent was gone.

The smile was gone.

The idiotic, naive and borderline impossible to bear with attitude was gone. And while she always did continuously wish that the 'blond mutt' would gain half a brain and stop slipping up with her name all the time...

Never before had it felt so _wrong_ to be called by that name without hearing a stutter at the beginning.

"There... There wasn't even a pause," Mokuba whispered with a choke, staring off toward the docks as his body shook.

"Malik," Yugi hissed under his breath, bowing his head. "You _bastard_..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Gh- Laughter..! "Horrifying isn't it?" the accented cover of a familiar woman's voice asked, the three turning with narrowed eyes as Anzu stared blankly at them. That tone... So Malik was using her rival's crush as a host now? "You know, I'm surprised myself," 'she' continued with a chuckle, the woman's body standing in a straight and mannequin-like fashion in contrast to the usual limp slouch Malik instilled in his previous victims. "He must have some really nasty thoughts about you if he's able to pick his own words to speak..."

The others merely stared in slight horror as the woman continued to chuckle, each with their own disgusted thoughts on the situation. "A... Anzu," Yugi whispered, eyes wide and almost broken in appearance as the others clenched their jaws. Of course. If Jonouchi was under Malik's 'control', then why wouldn't everyone else be?

"Well isn't this just _lovely_ ," Seto spat, the eerie and familiar 'eye' staring out from the center of the woman's forehead. " _More_ problems..."

'Anzu'... 'Malik' it seemed, merely stepped toward where Jonouchi had walked off, holding a small capsule between her fingers, chuckling as she held it forward. "You see this?" he asked, blood draining from the faces of the observers as it shimmered just slightly in the dying light. "This is a cyanide capsule... Unless she bites down on it, it's completely harmless of course," Malik admitted, fingering the capsule while the others watched with baited breath, "But it only takes a second for me to decide on that..." Gh... Shit. Yugi would be right at his mercy then... "At my command," Malik said quite clearly, "She'll clamp down on this capsule and release the cyanide, and death will be near instantaneous... Want to see," he asked, running the woman's tongue along the capsule as she walked out along the docks before them.

"H-H... ANZU!" Yugi shouted tensely, more chuckling hovering through the air as the docks came into the teen's view.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Frightening isn't it? But if you agree to duel your friend over there," Malik 'offered' plainly, "You'll have nothing to worry about..." Save for Yugi himself and the mutt, or so said the unseen statement as Anzu moved off again. "But you'd better make your decision quick," he 'warned', the capsule playing around in her mouth as he spoke, "Unless you want to explain why poor Mazaki Anzu was poisoned at such a young and promising age..."

The words did exactly as predicted by both Malik and Seto at that moment, with Yugi standing stock still in torn shock momentarily as the threat struck home. "I... I..!" Yugi bit his lip before following Malik/Anzu out to the large and hollowed square dock, the two walking around to the furthest end where Jonouchi stood.

"Y-Yugi," Mokuba shouted, looking from around his sister with a swallow. "But what about-"

"He has no choice," Seto hissed, gritting her teeth as her palms again began to bleed. Mokuba stared at the woman as his sister continued to tense and shake, duel-disk even rattling on her arm. "It's lose-lose... He has no choice!"

But just what was the next catch, the woman found herself wondering, watching as 'Anzu' held two chains and cuffs forward. What would make the duel a death match?

The answer should have been as obvious as the anchor held above the empty crane spot in the center of the field, the machine having been moved for a more updated land-device. Jonouchi was standing at Anzu's side as the cuffs gleamed in the dull sunlight, Yugi swallowing as he looked from the cuffs to the enormous anchor supported on the storage-lift above the dock. The shadow cast on the waters below formed an ominous and hyper extended crescent above the docks, reminding those standing there just how deep the water in the area was.

"For this duel you will both wear handcuffs," Malik announced, Anzu roughly clacking the cuffs on each duelist's wrist before stepping back somewhat. "The cuffs are attached to an anchor," he explained as his host tossed the capsule to the side, gesturing to the device above, "Which weighs 300 kilograms... This anchor is held only by a chain connected to the timer above," Malik continued as attention was brought to the momentarily scrubbed timer, "Which will do one of the following depending on your next action. It will either release the anchor in seventy five minutes following your duel's start, or, following the defeat of one or the other begin a sixty second countdown..." They had an hour and fifteen minutes to fight then. Leaving just enough time for the 'winner' to make it to the finals Seto added with a cold swallow. Gh..! "Move to your positions," the voice 'ordered' stiffly, Jonouchi doing as told before Yugi swallowed and did the same. Before each duelist stood a small box of sorts, LED display staring back up from the lids.

Now what was that?

"See those boxes near your feet?" Malik asked, his target looking down at the device that was currently bolted to the dock. "These boxes are tied to counters mirroring the life-point levels on your own disks. The moment you begin the duel they will synchronize with the counters in your duel disk," the Ghoul's leader explained curtly, "And in the event that the opposite 'box's' life-points are reduced to zero, it will unlock to reveal the key to your cuff! You will then have as mentioned, sixty seconds to use this key to escape... The loser," Malik continued with a chuckle, "Will sink into the seas, with those same seconds left to share their farewells... Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn..."

"One of them is going to _die?_ " Mokuba questioned with a whisper, swallowing as Yugi began pleading with his friend to snap out of it once more. Anzu was merely standing at the far end of the docks by this point, nothing but the chains left to decide what would happen...

Tch! His older sister snarled, storming over toward them as Mokuba stared from behind. "Not if I can help it," she growled, fists still tightly clenched. That timer holding the anchor in place, it would be _easy_ to re-write the limit to hold off for a chain cutter and a lockpick! They just needed to get to it! So... "MALIK!" she roared, 'Anzu' staring blankly at the woman in response, "If you think you're going through with this, you can think aga-"

"Ghk-!" The woman froze as a sudden cut shout came from behind her, Seto turning back with wide eyes to where her brother stood stock still with a choke. "N-Nii... Sama..!"

"Hehehehe..." Two ghoul's stood behind the boy, each with sadist's grins in place as they chuckled darkly. "You were saying about the duel continuing?" one of the ghouls holding the boy asked, a knife held dangerously close to her brother's neck.

Seto clenched her teeth as the blade was brought closer, her brother shutting his eyes as he attempted to pull away from the cold metal. "Mokuba..!"

"Step away from the docks," the second warned stiffly, the woman swallowing as she did just that, forming a 'circle' of sorts as she stepped to the side. "And before you try anything," he added darkly, "Take off the disk and coat!" What? Her _disk_!? She narrowed her eyes, nonetheless clicking the disk off with a growl as the ghouls stared. "We know what you're capable of," the Ghoul muttered, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the woman. "That coat could easily hide a weapon... And the disk might as well be one," he added, Seto silently removing her white jacket in the meantime as the wind howled dangerously about them. "Now kick the disk away," the man was shouting, apparently treating the console with as much caution as one would a gun.

Tch... Bastards... Bastards! The first ghoul chuckled as the coat fell to the ground, Mokuba swallowing his fear in the man's grip. "Heh... If it weren't for who you were I'd have to say you have a nice figure there," he said with a sneer, gaining a deep scowl in response. Besides the obvious reasoning behind the comment... His death warrant had just been signed _twice_. "Now... You stay right there with your hands behind your head... Unless you want to end up fish food like the two over there," he added, motioning for the woman to turn around as he stepped back from her.

Gh..! _Monsters_! Seto swallowed a wave of disgust as she turned around, slowly putting her hands on her head lest they go through with their threat. They had Mokuba at knifepoint. She hadn't even had any time to _think_ of silently radio-calling the pilot back in the helicopter, despite not even knowing if she'd left it on or not... She was a few feet away from the ghouls, so she couldn't even think of taking them by surprise with an attack and when she thought about it, what could the pilot possibly do outside a distraction _anyways_?

Tch... This game... This sick, disgusting game she was about to watch... Of all the times for Yugi to prove her right on this 'Millennium Bullcrap' again...

Why the hell did it have to be _now_?

* * *

" _YUGI! YUGI! WHY? Why did you have to come... WHY!_ "

If one could hear what Katsuya had to say about the entire matter there would be very little needed to describe the situation. His shouts were jumping back and forth between anger and terror both as he looked out through dead eyes, seeing nothing but the notably torn and arguably terrified form of his friend across from him. " _YUGI!_ " the blond cried, fires filling his vision once more as he struggled against the Millennium Rod's hold. His shouts couldn't reach him... He could see the 'original' Yugi's spirit standing at his partner's side, shouting toward him, but he couldn't respond... " _You monster... You goddamned MONSTER!_ " Katsuya cried, choking as he heard his own voice speak out to his friend in response.

"I almost forgot," 'he' was saying, holding his hands out toward the teen in a slight gesture as he motioned for 'his' friend to do something. "I could care less if you drown but I would _really_ prefer not to go diving for Osiris after this..." It _dared_ to say-

" _You fucking fire-coated, eye-eatin' piece 'f SHIT!_ "

" _Ah ah ah, sticks and stones now my 'dear',_ " the Rod said with a sneer, before turning his gaze back to Yugi. The ease with which the spirit switched between his unhidden voice and the voice of his body filled the blond with a feeling of dread, for both what he heard and what he felt. Nothing but hate and anger, and though he'd have said it was justified the Rod's presence was continually forcing it towards a target other than itself. "Take the card out of your deck," 'he' ordered the teen across him, the other Yugi nodding stiffly as he removed the deck-holder belt around his waist to hold it forward.

"...Osiris is in here," he said plainly, momentarily pulling the card out to show his opponent through the flaming haze. "You see it?"

Katsuya felt his body nod, the blond momentarily choking between screams and tear-filled cries as the red sheet of card shimmered in the sun. "Put it on the ground," he said clearly, eyes trained on the belt as Yugi did just that before turning his duel disk on and setting it into place. "God will go to the side of the survivor understand? Now..." Low chuckling sounded through the air, the point counters on the box coming to life as the timer above began its count-down. " _DUEL!_ " he announced, disk clacking into place as he brought it forward. Cards were drawn with great reluctance on the side of his opponent, the Rod giving a crocodilian smirk as he laughed. "You can go first... Hnhnhehehehe..."

Bastard... God damned... " _I swear t' god when I g't outta here I'm gonna rip out each an' every one 'f yer eyes,_ _"_ the blond hissed, sounding decidedly snakelike as he clawed at the bonds in his mind.

" _Please_ ," the rod said with a chuckle, Yugi currently staring across the field in silence as he stared at his deck with a torn expression. " _You should enjoy yourself! This is fun~ Got that? FUN!_ " he roared, mad laughter filling the air to hit only his host's ears. " _All you're doing right now is giving me a headache my dear friend... Though I'll admit it's helping with the control a lot..._ "

Son of a-..! Get out! " _Let me talk damn it... Let me talk you sick, twisted FUCK_ _!_ "

Still the Rod laughed, rolling the eye that his host could see from his wrist. " _Oh now that's just plain mean_ ," he laughed, briefly shuttering his teeth as they clacked. " _Now... How about you be a dear and just sit back, enjoy the show... No one can hear you after all_ ," he said with a low grin, eye turning to face 'their' opponent. "...Yugi!" he shouted in slight agitation, again using the blond's mouth to speak. "What's taking you so long? I told you it was your turn didn't I?"

Yeah... The first move in a timed death-match! " _You forget that we're best friends you ASS! How is he supposed to kick your ass to save himself when you're in my body_ _,_ " the blond continued to snarl, his captor merely rolling his eyes once again.

" _My_ ," he said with a humored sigh, " _Aren't we self-sacrificing today_!" The Rod continued to chuckle as his opponent reluctantly summoned a monster in defense mode, a four armed white winged demon appearing to stand at his summoner's side as the tablet appeared beside it. The monster could hardly move to stand in front of his 'master' with so much water before them- rather than exhaust himself by 'hovering' in place it chose to instead await further orders on the dock as his owner swallowed. ' _Turn over,_ ' he could hear Yugi say, the Rod cackling madly from within his head. " _EHEHEHEHEE! This is going to be great! Show time..._ It's my turn!" he shouted through Katsuya's voice, the blond snarling in an almost feral tone as the switch in voices appeared. The teeth across his hands forced his hand to move and draw his card despite the snarls, adding the result to his hand as Katsuya spat at what he saw. "Draw! _Now lets see what we got here_ ," the spirit continued with a chuckle, his host snarling as he looked at what was there. Monster, spell card, spell card, _another_ spell card... Other than one card his entire hand wasn't his!

" _You... Puttin' cards that ain't mine in my deck..!_ "

" _Well I AM the one playing_ ," the Rod drawled somewhat smugly, " _So it's only right~_ "

Only _right_? " _THERE AIN'T NOTHIN' RIGHT ABOUT THIS_ _!_ " he roared, the spirit merely ignoring him as it set a card on the field.

" _Hehehehehe..._ First I play the spell Raigeki, the lightning vortex!" the Rod announced, a lightning storm appearing from the empty sky as opposed to a tablet arising as its container. The lightning charged toward a single target, electricity frying Baphomet to cinders as the monster gave stiff, twitching sniff. The monster was quite clearly in pain of course- but how could it move with its body caught in a shocked lock, corpse falling into the seas only as its tablet finally caved under the pressure and ground to dust. "Hah! Your monster dies!"

"Gh- This card..!" Yugi looked across the field in horror as he unknowingly voiced his friend's thoughts, receiving nothing but a cold laugh in response. This card... It was illegal damn it!

" _Psh! And how was I supposed to know?_ " the Rod 'asked', flames appearing to 'shrug' from the wrist in response to his host's thoughts.

" _As if you would even care,_ " Katsuya spat, his body setting another card as a tablet appeared to his side. If the spirit of the Rod was surprised by the tablet he didn't show it however, instead going on with his move.

"I then summon the Alligator Sword in attack mode!" the Rod shouted, familiar chinese gator arising to stand at the blond's side before shaking his head.

" _Hnn..? A harbor duel?_ " he asked, looking over the waters with a frown as he turned to his summoner. " _But I thought I told you I can't duel in the water man..._ " Ah... That...

He couldn't see the Rod! " _Hnnn?_ _"_ The rod paused for a slight moment as the alligator addressed him, before chuckling under his breath and shaking it off. " _Well isn't that interesting... Perhaps I should take advantage of this 'blind loyalty', hnhnhnhahaHA!_ " Gh- It wasn't blind loyalty it was partnership! "Alligator sword attacks directly," the spirit ordered, Katsuya continuing to struggle against the rod's hold as he shouted at the monster.

" _GH! 'GATOR! GATOR GET ME OUTTA HERE_ _!_ " he cried, the alligator unable to hear his master's shouts as he charged around the dock the 'long way' to cut at his opponent. " _Damn it Gator, WE'RE GONNA KILL HIM!_ _"_ he screamed, forced to watch Yugi stumble back under the force of the blade before his monster semi-casually walked back along the docks. _"_ _YOU GOTTA LISTEN, PLEASE_ _!_ "

For a moment, the gator appeared to react to the words, tilting his head as if to listen for a soft and mousy whisper. In the end however he merely frowned, crossing his arms as he turned to the blond. " _Hey... You alright man, you seem off..._ " Off? It was more than 'off', it was...

" _Damn it..._ " He couldn't hear him...

Katsuya's body smirked as the cold fact was realized, the spirit opting to give 'his' monster a somewhat reassuring nod before breaking into laughter at his opponent's pain. "Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHA! What's the matter?" he shouted with a grin, his opponent merely clutching hist stomach with heaving breaths as he wheezed. The blond snarled at the Rod's taunts, struggling further against the hold as his monster frowned.

" _Hey, Katsuya-jun,_ " the alligator suddenly whispered with a frown, his true summoner listening only slightly as he fought the Rod, " _I think I actually dealt some damage there... That ain't 'residual' or nothing, that's a real hit I just made..._ " A real... A real hit? But how? The monster continued to frown, looking back at his summoner with a swallow. " _You better watch it man, you don't keep this under wraps and... Well I might seriously hurt him_ ," he warned, his summoner continuing to 'pale' in realized horror.

He was... _Hurting_ Yugi? The blond stared across the field in his forced vision, 'swallowing' as the boy raised a slightly bloodied hand in confusion. " _But that ain't right_ _,_ " he whispered, _"_ _I can't..._ "

" _Oh ho ho,_ " the rod laughed, the teeth on his hand and arm curling into a dangerous grin as its flames heightened in an almost blackened light, " _But it seems to me that you CAN! Such power your have hidden deep inside,_ " he muttered with a sinister laugh, the sound reverberating about his own skull. " _Your monster is right my dear little 'Katsuya', you're a loose cannon!_ " That wasn't right, that wasn't _right!_ Someone...

Tell him...

Prove this thing wrong please, _please_ \- " _You think you're the only thing 'this' can touch?_ " the Rod 'asked' with a leering grin, chuckling at the rising horror from within his host. " _That's because you don't want anyone else to know... You CAN'T let anyone else know, and when you keep something like that bottled in it GROWS, only this time you can't observe that growth for yourself! HAHAHAHAHA! AND NOW,_ " the spirit 'announced', chuckling under his breath, " _Now that this body is in my control, your opinion means NOTHING! So while you wasted your power, it's under MY complete control!_ " Cont-

But that couldn't be right, how was he... How was he causing... It just couldn't be he tried to tell himself with a swallow, shaking his head as he shook. He... He'd gotten pissed plenty of times before, that didn't mean people got struck down by his monsters... And he wasn't even... He wasn't...

That was only something that the guys with creepy, ancient golden Millennium Items could do... Something he didn't have! " _Gh... That ain't true,_ " he spat with that thought in mind, listening as Yugi summoned the Big Shield Guardna to his defense, " _It ain't true! These ain't my feelin's... THIS ISN' WHAT I AM! You... You..!_ "

The 'Shield Guardna' obscured the pair's view of Yugi completely as the tablet covered his back, the Millennium Rod still laughing as his opponent ended his turn. " _Ohhhh but they are yours remember? They're all your thoughts, your rages, however dis-jointed and miss-aimed they are,_ " the spirit 'reminded', moving to draw a card with a grin. "And now It's my turn again," he continued, Yugi gritting his teeth in response. "So you've summoned a wall monster eh?" he asked, the Alligator beside him tilting his head with narrowed eyes as he stared in obvious suspicion. "Well that shield might be big," he continued, the shield monster in question doing his best to cover Yugi completely as the next card was set, "But it won't stop a fire ball! Now-"

The alligator's eyes widened, briefly grabbing at his 'summoner's arms before being casually snapped back. " _Wh- Hey man, that's not..._ " The monster shook his head, looking back at Yugi briefly before continuing. " _This guy's your friend! You use something that direct and-_ " And..!

What did he mean _AND?_! "TAKE THAT! _"_ the Rod cackled through his voice, mad laughter filling the air as he ignored the monster's warnings. " _HINOTAMA_! THE FIREBALL!" Flames erupted from the sky, filling the air as both the Alligator and Katsuya stared in horror. Yugi was literally crushed by the blast, smoke singing the wood as laughter and screams both filled the air. "DIRECT DAMAGE!" the spirit roared, the Alligator stepping around the dock's support beam to look at the damage in disgust. "I'm going to fry you more than all the powers of RA! _And with this power_ ," he muttered under his breath, Yugi's screams dying down as the teen stood to breath haggardly, the scent of singed leather and hair hanging from the air, " _It's more than easy..._ "

" _You..._ " Katsuya's monster turned back with wide eyes, shaking his head as his so-called summoner continued to grin. "Y _ou ain't Katsuya-jun,_ " the alligator warrior spat, stepping away as his supposed master leered at him. " _I don't know what's going on_ ," he snarled as he ran down the side of the docks, " _But you can forget about the 'rules of play'!_ " Good... Good, just please...

Please make this _stop_... " _Well,_ " the Rod hissed under his breath, still smirking demonically even as his monster 'abandoned' the field. " _It took him long enough... Hnhnnhnhnhn..._ "

"Gh..." Weakened coughs came from the other end of the docks, Yugi unknowingly helped up by both his 'Guardna' monster and the Alligator Sword. "Ngh..."

" _Yugi..._ " How... How was _he_ doing this? He didn't want this, not in any way! And yet... _"_ _Yugi_ _,_ " Katsuya cried, shaking his head as he watched his friend weakly stumble to his feet. " _Yugi please,_ _"_ he called desperately, _"_ _Just fight back..!_ "

But for all he said he wasn't... He wasn't... "Jonouchi!" the teen shouted, unaware that while the hologram of the Alligator stood on the field the monster was standing beside _him_ rather than the one who summoned him, "I won't give up... I'll free you from Malik's grasp even if it costs my life!" he continued clearly, stern and determined scowl coming clearly from across the field. No...

No, no _no_! " _Yugi..!_ " He couldn't... He had to fight back, he had to win!

" _Ohhhh, how sweet_ ," the Rod chuckled, visible eyes leering at the blond as Katsuya cried. _"It's almost ironic that your own power is what's going to bring about his end! Hehehehehe... Why... Even a being such as myself can get used to THIS,_ " he roared, cackling madly from within the body while flames rose in ferocity and heat. Bastard...

God damned bastard! " _YOU MONSTER!_ " the blond raged, clawing and prying at any semblance of control. _"_ _GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_ " Yugi had set a card face down from what he saw through the flaming haze... A blank stone tablet sat to his side, and on his other the carved stone image of his token hair-ball. Kuriboh in attack mode Katsuya saw with a loud and pained cry, shaking his head. _Kuriboh_ in... " _Damn it_ _,_ " the blond whispered, unable to feel the tears that weren't running down his face. _"_ _You have to live... You have to..._ "

"My turn," the spirit said calmly, staring at the field with narrowed eyes as he chuckled. "Hnhnhnhn... Kuriboh in attack mode... _Well,_ " the Rod cackled gleefully, " _It looks like we've given him heat-stroke with that fire ball, good for you!_ "

Shut up... Shut up! " _There's no WE you god-awful, hell-bound sin agains' nature!_ "

And again he received nothing but laughter as his response, the demonic spirit grinning widely in lieu of his host's rage. " _Well there's the creativity I missed! But as I remind you again... You're wrong! Haha!_ So you're going to sacrifice yourself to save my life?" the spirit said to Yugi with a grin, chuckling as he drew his next card. "Well... When my Alligator attacks, you'll be good as dead!" he continued, grin widening even as the alligator leered from the other side. " _Thanks to this power of yours_ ," the Rod added darkly.

From across the field the monster in question snorted, crossing his arms. " _Hah! See how well your attack hits when I'm not listening!_ " the alligator shouted in response, the words ignored as Yugi's voice over powered them.

"Jonouchi," he said with a swallow, hand on his disk as he stared forward. "We both need to survive this, understand..? Neither of us are going to die," he continued almost desperately, his friend weeping as the Rod howled in laughter.

"Psh! So naive... _Isn't this the 'demonic' half as you once put it?_ " What? Katsuya tensed, staring at the toothy eye in incredulity. But he never- He'd never said that! " _Think back now,_ " the spirit drawled, " _But don't strain your head..._ _Hnhnhnhnhn..._ " Gh- Monster..! "Keep believing what you want Yugi," the Rod continued with a smirk. "Either way, someone dies today, and it won't be ME! Now... ALLIGATOR SWORD!" the spirit ordered with a snarl, "ATTACK KURIBOH!" Silence filled the air as the 'Gator narrowed his eyes, shaking his head.

" _Like hell!_ " he muttered, crossing his arms as Guardna coughed. " _This ain't right! I'm staying righ-_ "

" _You might want to duck_ ," the monster muttered, his 'master's words supporting his and the Kuriboh's thoughts as the two looked at the Alligator in confusion.

"Activate trap!" Yugi shouted, the tablet that stood conveniently behind the Alligator Sword abruptly crumbled, "Spellbinding Circle!" Chains of runes and shadows abruptly swung around the monster, knocking the wind out of the beast as the trap took effect.

" _...That... That works too,_ " the Gator wheezed, toppling forward as he was restrained to the ground by the large circle.

" _I warned you..._ "

"Gh..." The spirit of the Millennium rod growled as the tablet's dust blew away, "Trap card," The Rod continued to hiss with annoyance at the attacks prevention, chuckling coming from within his 'head' as Katsuya snarled.

" _Hehehehehe... When Yugi makes a promise he keeps it,_ " the blond spat, continuing to push against his mental restraints with all he had. " _You're goin' DOWN! An' like I said b'fore_ _,_ " the teen roared, volume unrestrained in the confines of his body, _"_ _I'm takin' you with me!_ _"_

"Tch..." The eyes Katsuya stared at merely narrowed further, before bringing his hand to the cards and disk as his host paled. " _Laugh all you want_ ," the spirit snarled, "It's not over yet!" The next card was slipped into place regardless of mental pleas to stop, the sky above darkening and converging into a violent 'hole' in the center of the sky. "I'll end my turn by playing another one of these... HINOTAMA! Hehehehehe... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Fires rained from above as ash filled the air, a shower of meteors raining upon the sea. Violent winds did nothing but buffet the clothes of those around, the sane that watched widening their eyes with both shock and awe before the largest blasted its target back against the docks. "Gh... GHRAAAAAAAAA!" Yugi! "AAAAAHHHHH!" Fires swarmed the field, drenching the docks in ash and soot as Yugi was again crushed under the heat, remaining flames continuing to burn before the spell dissipated. "Ghk... Glk!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! This deck is filled with cards like these..." There would be at least one more Hinotama in this deck... "I don't need to attack your monsters," the Rod snarled, drunk on his own borrowed power as the sky held its darkened state, "I'll just keep burning you with flames until you can't stand!"

"Gn..." The smoke cleared from the field with those words, the cold wind slowly blowing it back to reveal the fallen form of his friend. "Ngh..."

" _Yugi..._ _"_ The teen slowly stumbled to his hands and knees, coughing as the smoke cleared from the air and distorted his vision. " _Yugi..! Don't die please... Please just get up_ _,_ " he begged through his tears, _"_ _You have to... You have to get up_ _!_ "

"Gh... Jonouchi," Yugi rasped, looking up with weak eyes as he struggled to do just that. The blond continued to 'cry' as he looked at his friend's face, skin red and covered with ash and tears. "Can't you hear your heart _crying?_ " he asked, shaking his head. He _was_ crying damn it... He didn't want this, he didn't want... Any of this...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Things like that," the Rod sneered, tilting his head as he 'responded' in the blond's place. "...Those don't matter to me at all," he said clearly, Yugi bowing his head and shaking in response.

" _Yugi... Yugi, Yugi, YUGI! Please... Don't listen to him, please don't_ _,_ " he begged, the endless laughter of the Millennium Rod echoing in the back of his mind. " _It's not true... It's not TRUE!_ _"_

But Yugi couldn't hear him after all- so what was he supposed to believe? "How horrible," his friend was muttering, shaking his head as he struggled to straighten himself. "Compared to the pain I'm feeling now, that fireball was nothing..." The other Yugi's lighter half stood at his side, head bowed in his own silent pain as the other continued. "How could you _lose yourself_ like this?" he asked, unable to hear the cries of his friend across him. "How _could_ you?!" he shouted, eyes wide in betrayed rage.

He wasn't doing this... Please, he wasn't... "Hnhnhnhn... _You should listen closely_ ," the Rod bragged, chuckling evilly as the eyes widened with laughter. " _It's you he's talking about_!"

" _You... No he's not,_ " the blond snarled, hissing and spitting at the monster holding him back. _"_ _It's you!Putting these words in my mouth... What else is he supposed to think? When you're shouting all of this at him..!_ "

" _Ohhh, it's not like he couldn't use it..._ " Couldn't- " _He's just a weak little boy isn't he?_ " the spirit asked with a low chuckle, his host swallowing back a roar for a brief moment. " _Just another kid to bully, another one who could use a good beating to 'tough him up'_ _,_ " he continued, the words sounding far too similar to those he'd said long ago at the start of his freshman year. " _'It'll make him a man'..._ " Gh... Ngh...

" _Shut up,_ " he whispered, holding his head as he cried. " _SHUT UP! YUGI!_ " he shouted desperately, slamming himself against the 'cage' he was in with all he had. " _YUGI! I'M RIGHT HERE! I'M NOT DOING THIS! So please... PLEASE! JUST STRIKE ME DOWN_ _,"_ the blond begged, the ticking of the clock above them grating against his mind. _"_ _PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO LIVE!_ "

" _He can't hear you,_ " the Rod muttered, eye rolling as it looked to the blond from his hand. " _And would he honestly care if he could..?_ "

The spirit was responded with still more rage, Katsuya snarling and roaring almost draconically as he tore at his mental bonds. " _And since when did you CARE?_ " he spat, unaware of the ignorance his captor had for the rage. _"_ _Since when did you KNOW? THIS AIN'T YOUR BODY,_ _"_ Katsuya roared, pulling and tearing at the cage as he cried, " _IT'S MINE! IT'S-_ "

"JONOUCHI-KUN!” a clear voice shouted over the field, both the Rod and Katsuya staring through the flaming vision as a calming breeze passed. The change between the two Yugis was immediately noticeable, the wide and innocent stare coming from across the field with a confident smile. Where normally the other would stand there was instead empty space, along with the tablets and monster the duel had summoned about. "This time," the boy was shouting through sad and constant tears, "I'll be your opponent... Understand?" No...

_NO!_ " _No no... NO!_ " Katsuya went white as he struggled and tore at his 'cage', wailing as the spirit holding him also froze. _"_ _YUGI YOU CAN'T DO THIS, YOU CAN'T_ _!_ "

"What's the meaning of this... _This isn't the PHARAOH!_ " the Millennium Rod roared, for once sharing the opinions of his host. " _This..._ You're NOT my opponent!" the spirit shouted aloud, Katsuya raging against his bonds with more vigour than even before. "Switch out," he 'ordered', only for Yugi to stare back with the same innocent determination he held when worse came to worst. "BRING BACK THE PHARAOH!"

He couldn't fight this... He wouldn't... " _I can't... I CAN'T LET YOU TOUCH HIM!_ " Katsuya spat, a pressing heat rising in his body as he roared. " _I CAN'T..._ _"_

When Yugi made his mind however, it was always made up. _"_ It's my turn," the boy said calmly, drawing his next card and closing his eyes over as he breathed deeply. No...

"NO!" the spirit snarled, his words mirroring that of his host for a brief moment.

" _NO! NNGGRAAAAAHHH! NO! I CAN'T LET THIS..! I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!_ _"_ he continued to cry, pushing with everything he had to just break free of the fires around him.

With the draw of a card across from him, he could hear a distant roar. Amid the shouts to kill, the shouts to fight, he heard a loud and menacing roar and with a jolt, he felt his eyes open, the flames clearing as he snarled.

_"_ _THIS... IS_ _ MY _ _BODY!_ _"_

- ** _GROAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO_**!-

It was a sudden calming sensation what happened after the dragon's cry that he'd heard at that moment. He could see again he realized rather quickly, the colour of the waters, of the sky and of the harbour around them coming to mind. And in addition to that, he could see...

_Himself_?

Katsuya pulled himself to his feet as he swallowed, eyes briefly widening as flames arose from the 'copy' of himself to impossible heights. It was as though he was looking at a tower of flames, a tower that now moved to stare at him with eerie and tooth-covered eyes from the very flesh and bones of his back. " _What in the hell is..._ "

" _Well well well Blondie..._ " Katsuya swallowed as the flames formed an extra 'eye' from nothing, using it to stare down and chuckle at his former host. " _You're just full of surprises, aren't you?_ " he asked, the eyes 'tilting' somewhat as the blond looked himself over. He was...

Transparent. Completely translucent, able to see himself through... Himself. But that meant he was a ghost didn't it? But how was that even possible, how- " _Oh hell,_ " he muttered with a swallow, looking from his pale and ethereal 'body' and back to his real one.

" _'Hell' indeed,_ " the Rod said with a chuckle, the teeth and eye on the outstretched flame grinning wickedly as the teeth widened for a darker sneer. " _You've actually managed to separate from your own BODY! You've managed to actually put YOURSELF into a soulless state! HNHNHAHAHA!_ " S-Soulles-

He was _soulless?_! But if he was here, and the Rod was in his body then...

What did... " _This is just rich,_ " the Rod shouted through laughs, a flaming 'arm' even wiping an imagined tear from his eye. " _It looks like you've got front row tickets to your best friend's death in full colour now kid! And when its all over, you'll STILL be good as dead! H-hahaha... HAHAHAHA!_ " Gh... This thing...

The blond clenched his fists, teeth grinding as he went red. " _Like HELL!_ " he snarled, jumping at his body and pulling at the teeth holding the eyes in place in the flames. " _YOU AIN'T TOUCHIN' A HAIR ON THEM_ _!_ " he roared, hands slicing with each touch on the fangs as the fires burned into his skin.

Words were echoing all around him again, volume increasing as he pulled at the fires and the teeth... _Kill, kill, kill,_ it said, the blond pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. " _Gh- Get off me you RAT_!" the spirit snarled, managing to keep the body from reacting as his fires burnt into Katsuya's skin. " _You don't have a say in these things!_ " it snarled, eyes turning as Katsuya reached for his left arm.

Tch... " _I can sure as hell TRY,_ " he snarled, tugging at the teeth on his 'card hand' arm before flames wrapped around his middle to violently throw him back. " _G- GHRAAGH!_ "

" _Tch!_ " The eyes rolled as they watched Katsuya choke and cough, the blond struggling to his feet while his captor glared. " _Suit yourself,_ " the Rod spat darkly, " _But you won't be having any luck!_ " Gh...

He'd see about that... He'd win damn it, no matter what it took...

He'd get his body back and save Yugi..! " _Now._.. Don't take to long Yugi," the item snarled, looking across the field with a considerably more agitated glare as his opponent looked up from his hand, "We don't have all day after all!"

" _What was that?_ " Katsuya hissed, jumping at the spirit's eyes and teeth yet again as his bottom half vanished into mist in the body, _"_ _Some kinda JOKE_ _?_ "

The eyes merely narrowed in response, teeth closing over slightly as they dug into Katsuya's hands. " _Hnhnhnhn... You'd like to think that wouldn't you?_ " the spirit muttered darkly, only to wince as his former host tore a fang from the teeth on his arm in response. " _GH-!_ "

" _Naw... But I'm definitely gonna be a pain in yer ass until th' second I die_ _,_ " he snarled as he held the fang up in minute triumph, Yugi's voice cutting across the field while he tossed the tooth away.

"I play the spell 'Card Exchange'!" he announced clearly, the Millennium Rod narrowing the body's eyes momentarily. Like a number of spells before it no tablet had appeared- there was no need for magic when the action was based in 'reality' after all, and when all that was to be done was a one-to-one trade of cards.

" _Card exchange,_ " the spirit whispered, before snorting as his flames pushed Katsuya back yet again. Standing at Yugi's side once more was the other Yugi. He was shouting, staring at his partner with worry as the body walked around to meet with Katsuya's own at the center of the dock. "Well, alright then," he decided, flames receding. "Trading cards... Hn! Well now," the Rod said with a sneer, watching as Yugi held out his hand. Big mistake... Taking his eyes off his attacker! "Lets see what you h- _GLK!_ "

The spirit was cut off as Katsuya rammed his hand into the eye over his mouth, the 'ghost' wincing and shivering with distaste as the fluids from the eye drenched over his hand. It'd just been a hunch... Just a hunch, but as the spirit roared in sudden pain he knew he'd managed to act on the right 'feeling.

" _YOU,_ " the spirit hissed, flames jumping with rage as minute surprise came over the body's face, " _What the hell do you think you're doing,_ " the spirit muttered darkly, flaming hands ripping Katsuya's hand from its eye and tossing the blond away with a snarl, " _Damaging my EYES?_ "

" _Gh- GNHAAA_ _!"_ The fluids from his arm dripped to the docks disgustingly, leaving just a slight stain as the blond attempted to stand. _"_ _Tch..._ " Obviously this was the right weak point... Wasn't it? He stumbled forward, wiping his mouth of the blood that somehow still existed in his more ethereal form. " _What does it look like?_ " he muttered as the spirit stared, mutterings of 'kill' abruptly replaced with the order to take the card he'd spotted in Yugi's hand. Orders...

So this voice was... _Malik_!

The realization filled him with even more anger, knuckles cracking as his fists clenched for another attack. " _I don' break my promises... An' if you think I'm lettin' y' take Red-Eyes..._ "

" _Well... You're in for quite a disappointment then_ ," the spirit snarled, hands moving toward the card in question as he smirked, " _Because it seems that my dear Master happens to be demanding it!_ "

Oh yeah? " _And I said I AIN'T LETTIN' YAH!_ " The blond launched himself at the body, partially merged with the form again as he pulled at the arm reaching forward. " _You seemed t' react when I gave y' a poke in th' eye,_ " he continued with an almost insane grin, raising his hand in an almost spear-like fashion as fingers closed around the card, " _SO HOW ABOU' I DO IT AGAIN?_ "

" _GK Wh- ARR_... _RAAAAAAGHH_!" The spirit hissed as Katsuya jammed his arm in through the eye, pulling back on what met his fingers as hard as he could. Despite the fact that the eye was only a few centimetres above the arm, his own was buried up to the elbow as he pushed, doing all he could to keep the ghost from taking the card. " _YOUUUUU... YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO WIN LIKE THAT?_ " the monster roared, eyes narrowing before closing completely. Teeth closed over on the arm in the same manner as all the other eyes about it, Katsuya biting his lip as the teeth dug inches deep into his arm. Blood... Blood everywhere, but he was a ghost haha... He couldn't...

He couldn't die... At least not until he stopped this fight! " _Glk... I... I know I am_ _,_ " he hissed, wrapping his free arm around the limb that was once his as the fires attempted to pull the blond free. " _Because this ain't yours..! And this... Isn' somethin' I want t' do!_ "

" _GH.. HRAAAAAA..._ " The spirit raged in aggravation as it pulled at the blond, the boy before him unable to see through shut eyes that his opponent was now pulling at own wrist in rage. " _AAAGGHH! WHY!_ WHY!" he roared, moving to hold his head as Yugi jumped at the shout. "WHY CAN'T I TAKE IT!" he spat, the ghost on his arm continuing to pull and tear at the eye controlling it. " _This should be EASY,_ " he snarled, eyes wide with unbridled rage, " _So_ WHY! I..!"

" _You're takin'... THIS ONE!_ "

" _RAAAGH!_ " A snap echoed through the air as flames surrounded his waist completely, the hand having just barely been switched to a separate card as the Millennium Rod screeched. " _GET OFF ME..!_ " With a crack and a snarl the blond was again thrown back, the body's arm jerking from where it clenched one of Yugi's cards. Ghk...

Katsuya choked as he gripped his shredded right arm, pulling himself to his knees as he looked toward the body. Did he...

Did he manage to succeed...

_Why..._ _WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE RED-EYES_ _,_ the 'voice' raged, the Millennium Rod cursing under its breath as Katsuya choked. He...

Hahaha! He did! " _It's... I..._ I don't need monsters," the spirit growled, making its excuses while its master hissed under his breath. "The direct attack spells are more than enough," he continued stiffly, holding his own hand out for Yugi to take his own choice of card. The flaming eyes leered at the ghost as his master reluctantly took the excuse, each and every jaw clenched tight in rage. " _You... Are you trying to get me DESTROYED you blond RAT_?" he snarled, Katsuya merely stumbling forward with a growl. " _This arm of mine... What did you DO?_ "

" _Hehehehe... 'Destroyed'? Somethin' like that,_ " he muttered, before launching himself at his body again with a snarl. " _I'm gonna do all it takes t' get rid 'f you... So 'sit back an enjoy th' show_ _',_ " he continued, only barely hearing the words of those around him.

"Jonouchi-kun," Yugi said calmly, unable to see the internal struggle as Katsuya again pulled at the eyes embedded in his body. "...I believe in you... I believe in the promise you made with the Other Me..." He did too! He did too! It was with those thoughts that he was fighting now... Clawing at the eyes as the fires ate away at his form, as the teeth grew wide in pained agony from the wounds he was inflicting... "The reason you couldn't take Red-Eyes... It's because of that promise, isn't it?" Yugi said with a sad smile, his friend giving a somewhat frenzied one in response as he gouged out the eye that rested above his right shoulder.

" _AAAAAAGGGHHH!_ SHUT UP! _Shut your mouth,_ _BOTH OF YOU,_ " the spirit roared, barely separating reality and 'fiction' himself as he screamed. " _And get OFF MY BODY,_ " he snarled, flames tugging on the blond as the 'ghost' wrapped his arms around his own neck.

" _How many times do I have t' say it... IT AIN'T YOURS!_ _"_ A sickening squelch came over the air with the destruction of another eye, the control over the body's throat all but shattered in response.

" _Rrrr-GGGAAAAAAARRGH!_ "

And still Yugi spoke, filling his friend with encouragement even when the blond realized that the injured eyes on his arms still held their roots. "Jonouchi-kun... I also believe that this Red-Eyes will be able to wake you up, understand?" he asked, the ghost merely pulling as hard as he could on the left arm's eye.

" _Loud an' clear,_ " he grunted, both hands digging in even as fires curled around him, _"_ _Loud an'-_ "

" _THAT... IS... ENOUGH!_ " The blond was tossed back down the docks, the Millennium Rod steering his body back into position as it spoke. " _Tch..._ Whether it's me or you one of us is going to die _,_ " he spat, walking back to his side of the field as his opponent reluctantly did the same, "So shut the fuck up!" he snarled, ignoring the streams of tears now running down Yugi's face. No...

Don't cry, he thought with a choke, his own eyes welling up as he came to his knees. Don't... "...My turn," the boy choked, his friend's spirit struggling to his feet as he watched. "...My turn isn't done yet. I sacrifice both my monsters," he continued as the pair both errupted into pillars of black light, a tablet appearing behind him in response, "And I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Another roar filled the air, nearly identical to what he'd heard prior as red smoke filled the fresh and clear carving in the stone. " _GROAAAAAAAOOOOOO! GRAAAOOOOOOOOO!_ " Red...

Midnight black scales glowed brightly in the setting sun as the beast appeared, his brilliance rivalling even Blue-Eyes as it cracked its joints to growl.

Red eyes... The dragon's roar was sad and mourning as it looked toward the blond across him on the field, Katsuya staring as the monster curled protectively around Yugi. Red-eyes... He'd... " _Gh... Ghn..._ " Damn it... Katsuya bowed his head momentarily as he sniffed, choking on the breaths he didn't even think he needed. He couldn't cry, he couldn't... He... " _Gh... GRAAAAAHHH!_ " He charged his body once again, lower half once more vanishing into the flames as he screamed and tore at the now visible bonds. " _This is my body... THIS IS MINE, an' I'm TAKIN' IT BACK!_ "

" _GRN!_ THIS..." A piercing scream hit the air as Katsuya again struck the eyes on the body, his own shouts mixed with that of the Rod's as he cried. "NO!" the item shouted, “T _his isn't supposed to happen, it's mine now! It's MY body! You..!_ What is THIS?" he screeched, waves of misery flowing over him rather than the hate and rage he'd so instilled. "What IS this!"

'This'? Tch... " _There're my feelings_ _,_ " Katsuya snarled, gripping the top of his body's head as he reached for the next eye, _"_ _My real ones!_ "

"Jonouchi-kun!" Yugi shouted, choking through his tears as the spirit and his friend both screamed without his knowledge. "You can hear it can't you?" he asked, the dragon above him giving a low and pained roar. "Red-Eyes... Red-Eyes is crying for you," he shouted as he as well continued to cry, "And we're both fighting for you! Because we believe in you, Jonouchi-kun... We ALL believe! Now... RED-EYES," the boy ordered, dragon taking aim as his targets both continued their own private battle, "ATTACK... BLACK FIRE BULLET!"

The low roar that filled the field snapped the somewhat forgotten Alligator Sword at the side from his spell-induced silence, the monster's eyes widening as flames licked the side of the dragon's maw. " _Gh- Shit,_ " he muttered, looking from the dragon to his 'summoner' with a jolt, " _If that thing connects..._ " As Katsuya continued to attempt to wrench control of his body back his trapped Alligator sword forced himself to his feet, tail whipping behind him in agitation as he made up his mind. " _Gh... I don't know what's going on here pal, but you better snap out of it... You owe me one,_ " he continued, launching himself out toward the seas as he looked up at Red-Eyes with a half-hearted grin. " _HOI! DRAGON!_ "

Flames streamed across the seas before them, steam filling the air as Red-Eyes arose and destroyed the Alligator Sword. A target was a target after all, and the alligator had made his decision; as a monster for the other side, he would take the attacks for it as well. And even as the tablet crumbled, even as the alligator's body vanished completely, Red-Eyes' mourning cries filled the air. And despite the monster's dying intent, scraps of fire still caught onto the body's jacket, scorching the edges of the fabric and stinging the body's skin as the Rod stared in horror. "This... _This_ _isn't supposed_ _to happen!_ _What.._. WHAT IS THIS?!" he roared, speech appearing broken and half crazed as he momentarily moved his attentions from the blond to the field.

" _Heh... I guess I'm jus' special like that,_ " Katsuya spat, only to wince and cry as he was flung back in flames toward the waters behind them. " _G-Hngah_ _!_ " An echoing splash came over the air, Katsuya pulling himself above the seas to cough as flames leered at him from above.

"This... _'SPECIAL'?_ " the item 'asked' with a cackle. "Don't make me LAUGH!" the spirit roared, Red-Eyes crying out as the shouts filled the air before it. "That didn't hurt ONE BIT! _Not one BIT!_ You haven't seen ANYTHING yet," the eyes snarled, each one speaking as their host pulled himself out of the waters. " _NOTHING!_ "

" _Gh... Khk... Kack!_ " How could 'ghosts' even begin to drown?

"This... This is the end," the Rod muttered crazily, chuckling under his breath with wide and insane eyes. "It's my turn again, and with this your life will finally END! HNHNHAHAHAHA!" Bastard, he thought, fingers digging into the planks on the dock as he pulled himself forward, _bastard_... Using his voice...

Like that! The sound of clinking metal hit the blond's ears, Katsuya struggling to his feet only to stare as Yugi stood at his side of the field. A wind was passing as he stood there, something gold shimmering from beneath Red-Eyes' protective position. His hands... The puzzle was in...

The spirit of the Rod as well stared, his own eyes widening momentarily. "What..."

" _What are you doing?_ " both 'spirits' whispered in shock, before a grin came over the body's face. The ghost at the side shook his head, tears again running down his face. " _What are you DOING!_ " Katsuya roared in fear, the 'other Yugi' no longer in sight as the original held the puzzle in his hands with a small and tear-filled smile as flames and meteors again rained from above. " _YUGI!_ "

"HINOTAMA!"

" _YUGI! ...NO!_ "

* * *

While fires and screams filled the air on Domino Pier, it would be a very large lie to say that the feelings of dread were mirrored across the entire city. If anything the wide-spread emotions consisted of 'normalcy', 'boredom', 'idle amusement' at the best, and if any of those people realized what was going on they would have more than likely pushed it out of mind as quickly as possible before walking away. It was now around quarter after seven with all of the wandering the four teens, now just arrived from Osaka, had finished with at the train station. In the distance the sun was already beginning to set, with streams of red and gold bleeding across the sky above while the occasional pigeon flew past.

For all its beauty however there was still one among them who couldn't see it, and as Keiichi slowly led his friend outside the station he had to bite his lip. "It's been so long since I came here," the girl was whispering as her friend guided her through the crowd, the other members of the group currently arguing over taxi fare ahead of them. Traffic had started to run again as soon as 6 PM struck it seemed, and cars were again roaming the streets freely as they came to the roads. While those ahead continued to argue however, Keiichi looked around for a bench, his friend breathing in the air of the city with a sigh. "Six... Seven years maybe?"

Well... He'd first met her in year one of middle school, so it was at least three... In any case with a number like that, when they hadn't even started high-school yet... "It's a long time," her friend muttered in agreement, Shizuka smiling somewhat as she 'looked' at the boy.

"I used to pass this station on my way to school every morning with Katsuya-nihan," she said lightly, shaking her head as the smile saddened. "I... I would love to be able to see this city again..."

Keiichi nodded somewhat, loosely holding her hand as he looked away. She would. But in the end, the fear of that being ripped away was... Just too much. And in the end he'd said all he could, hadn't he?

The boy continued to stare off somewhat as their 'travel companions' finally stopped bickering, turning to the pair with nods. "Alright," Honda muttered, scratching his head and walking toward them with a shrug, "So... Domino Pier is at the exact other end of the city..." The _exact_ other end? He was pretty sure it was more to the east, given that was the only side Domino had a harbour on according to the map... The teen continued to scratch his head, before moving his hands to his pockets. "Anyways, since I paid for the food, I can't pay for a cab heading out that far..."

"And I paid for almost _three_ train tickets," Otogi added with a frown as he momentarily glared at his friend, "So I don't even have change for a _block_ in a taxi..." Wh... The two fell silent at that, the others blinking for a moment before Keiichi tensed.

Oh _hell_ they were looking at him! "Gh- Oi oi... Don't tell me you expect me to pay!" he growled. "I just finished spending all I had on the hotel room I used here, I don't have anything left!" Which reminded him, he really had to thank Jonouchi for that ramen now...

Shizuka sighed, feeling around for a bench to sit on as the others continued to argue about the cab. "Well then what do we do," Honda hissed in response, "Walk around for forty minutes?"

Otogi scowled at that, shaking his head as he dropped the expression to sigh. "Well, it's our only bet... But who'll carry Shizuka-chan?” he asked, Keiichi and Shizuka both raising their eyebrows briefly at the question. Er... What?

The two teens paused at that, Honda frowning as he mulled the question over. "Hnn..." The taller of the boys immediately began glaring at each other when the answer refused to appear, both gritting their teeth. "Tch... Ja-Ken for it!" Honda shouted, holding out a fist.

The other nodded, doing the same with a shout. "Right!" Wh-

"Gh- She can walk on her own you nimrods!"

"H _ihihihihi_..!" Laughter filled the air from the distance, the blood draining from two of the teens faces in response. That sound... Honda and Ryuzaki traded looks briefly before the shorter shrugged, shaking his head with a swallow.

"H-Hey," he said quickly, "I'm not dueling any more today, and-"

"M.. Mai!" Honda shouted, the teen grabbing Otogi by the arm and running off toward the source. "Mai!"

"Hey, what-" Otogi cut himself off as he caught sight at the woman Honda was pulling him towards, choking somewhat as his friend continued shouting.

"Whatever you do, don't do what I would," he seemed to hiss, running over to the scantily clad woman with a cough. "Hey Mai, you... You gotta help us," he asked nervously, "We-"

The woman turned from where she'd finished speaking on a train station pay phone, raising her eyebrows momentarily before grinning. "Ah- Honda! I haven't seen you since February!" There was a slight look of incredulity from Otogi as his friend grinned, the woman laughing somewhat. "Hah! That makes everyone but Jonouchi," she muttered, crossing her arms with a slightly wry smirk. "Well... I don't suppose you know where he is do you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'd like to at least say 'hello' before the finals, maybe see how he's doing..."

"Er... Actually it's about that," Otogi said with a cough, finally finding his voice as his face grew tomato red. "See, we think he's at the pier," he continued, "But-"

There was a cough from behind the two, Keiichi helping his friend up and leading the girl over with a scowl. "Hey thanks for leaving us behind you _dicks..._ " The two laughed somewhat nervously rather than snarling at the jibe, the shorter of the three continuing to scowl as he looked toward Mai. Eck... Of all the coincidences...

They just _had_ to know Mai personally didn't they, he thought with a slight look of distaste. "Ah- Dinosaur Ryuzaki?" she asked, the Keiichi continuing to frown.

"Its... It's a long story," Honda said with a cough, ignoring the scowl from the others in response. Oh come on, it would take five minutes _tops_. "Anyways, we need to get to the pier and-"

"Ah... So you're Kujaku Mai?" another voice cut in, Shizuka turning to where Mai's voice had come from. The woman blinked, looking over Shizuka as the girl bowed somewhat in greeting. "Katsuya-nihan told me about you," she explained as the others stared, smiling politely. "You're the one who gave him and his friends chocolate on Valentines right?"

Otogi coughed at that, staring as Keiichi shook himself. "H- Mai gave you chocolate?" the boy hissed, the others shrugging as the more red-faced blinked a few times.

"Well... _I_ wasn't there so..."

"Katsuya..." The others blinked as the older woman crossed her arms, staring. "That's Jonouchi. Right?" Mai asked, Shizuka nodding in response. She fell silent for a moment at that, staring at the girl with an odd expression on her face before glancing to the others. "...Alright. I'll take you to the pier in my car," she decided, the others jumping somewhat in response. Ah- Just like that? "It's just over there," she added, pointing toward the parking lot. "I'll help Shizuka over in a moment, so just wait in the car," she continued plainly. "It'll be the red one." Either Mai was laid back about car security and had left the doors open, or she had a convertible...

...A red...Convertible... The boys turned, walking toward the lot as Mai stared talking with Shizuka behind them. It didn't take too long to find the car in question but when they _did,_ it certainly stopped them in their tracks. "Ah- That's... That's a..."

Honda grinned as the two others stared incredulously at the car, the two looking back at their friend with wide eyes. "That's a... Is that a _ferrari?_ " Otogi asked incredulously, the grin widening from behind them.

"What did I tell you?" the teen said with a laugh, hopping over the side of the 'roof-less' vehicle to sit in the back. "She's the greatest!"

Besides the fact that this was the exact opposite of what Honda had been complaining about earlier on, there were no disagreements when Mai returned with Shizuka to start the car.


	18. The Gift of Sight

Being forced to sit on the sidelines was a 'new' thing for Seto Kaiba. Being _on_ the sidelines even was... New, depending on perspectives. After all where else would she sit when the battle had no part for her to play? To be forced to do anything, or more accurately nothing however was a rare if not foreign feeling, an action that she personally strived to avoid due to her distaste for the matter. There had been far too many things left out of control, things that she would hold on a tight leash for such a reason. But the fact was that despite these thoughts if she made a single move Mokuba was dead.

And that fact alone would keep her standing there, no matter how much the thought bored at her every being. No matter how much disgust she felt as the blond she'd had working on her security staff acted in stark contrast of his usual self. No matter how much denied fear she felt as the blond acted similar to what she'd _expected_ upon discovering his backgrounds. To what she had for a brief moment seen from records dredged up for the required check-up of his history.

Actions that despite this, she had grown used to considering non-existent, actions that Mokuba would never have to see from the blond, and actions that he would never be forced to watch. Actions that held a chilling reminder of her old self, before whatever madness her rival had inflicted upon her. Before that 'coma' that somehow allowed her to clear her mind.

There were things that happened before her that she tried, despite emotions she preferred not to acknowledge, to pass off as a trick of the light. Things that while she watched the duel that was taking place before her were considered the stuff of hallucinations, dreams, nightmares even as she so tried to convince herself. Flames and thunder were simply her imagination extending the limits of the duel disk, stumbling over a common side-effect of the Solid Vision, the blood merely the red light above catching Yugi's hand wrong. There was a reason why direct-attack spells had been made illegal in the tournament after all, and that was the increased damage to the player. There was nothing 'real' about it, nothing but the chains holding the two boys in place as they fought despite all previous interactions.

But the fact remained that she couldn't explain the apocalyptic vision of the sky before her as meteors fell from the clouds above. She couldn't explain the flames that filled the air as stones struck the seas to bring miniature geysers all about the dock, ashes floating on the waters as steam was left to fill the harbor in its wake. She couldn't explain the fact that Red-Eyes was hovering behind and around Yugi rather than before him in its rightful place, nor could she explain the smoke that filled the field after each attack struck his side of the field. And the fact was she didn't like being unable to explain things.

It was something that she detested, something she loathed with all her being. Everything had a reason. It was the thing that held everything together, held everything rooted to the ground so that it could be worked with. The thing that kept control in place, that kept confusion and fear from arising. The thing that made certain she would be able to do whatever was required, whatever was wanted, whatever _she_ wanted of the situation.

The thing that was missing now as she stood with her hands on her head and stared at the steaming seas with wide eyes. And as she looked forward something caught her eyes, the woman choking in silence as she watched Yugi stumble to his feet and walk toward his friend. He'd only just barely recovered from the last of the hinotama attacks, a fact that was plainly obvious as he stumbled forward, but that wasn't what she found her attention drawn to. Around his neck...

There was nothing. Nothing but the leather collar he'd taken to wearing in the recent months or so, likely longer given her own absence, and the chain of his puzzle was gripped tightly in his hands rather than hanging around his neck. But what... What was he doing? What could he possibly be doing with this..! Jonouchi was paying him no mind at the moment- Yugi was too weak to walk properly really, and he'd barely made it past the first support beam for the docks, leaving the blond's attention to the field as he made his move. But to have taken off the puzzle, after already switching back to the calm side, leaving the fighter within the device..!

"You fool," she hissed under her breath, voice unheard by the others. "You damned yourself..." She didn't like not 'knowing'...

But there was still more to come, wasn't there?

* * *

For Yugi to continue standing after the last attack was more than a surprise in Katsuya's opinion. Hell it was a god-damned miracle he told himself, barely able to spot the boy from his location behind his body. He could hear him coughing as the flames cleared from the air, steam hovering over the seas even while he pulled himself up the docks where he'd landed. It was hard to move... Being a 'ghost' was hard, so hard, and yet...

" _Ghn... Yugi_ ," he whispered, struggling for breath as he clawed at the dock's wooden planks. The boy was walking... Stumbling slowly toward his side of the dock, but even now he'd barely made it to the support pillar before collapsing against the structure with weary and shaking limbs. " _Yugi..!_ "

" _Ooooh... So sad isn't it?_ " the Millennium Rod said with a sneer, its flaming form and grin still hovering above the body that was so tightly within its grasp. " _But don't worry,_ " he reassured the blond, the body momentarily looking back at him to grin as well. " _It's allllmost over... All I need to do is destroy that pesky little dragon of yours_ ," he continued maliciously, " _And it'll all be over..._ " Gh...

And 'over' meant 'dead'. And he couldn't... Let that...

The blond's fingers dug into the wood as he attempted to regain his strength, bowing his head before a voice pulled his eyes back up to the docks. "Jonouchi-kun," Yugi rasped weakly, the chain on his wrist clinking across the ground as he moved across the wood. "Whatever happens... I just can't kill you," he cried, eyes having run dry from the amount of crying he'd already done. "I can't... So please," he begged through heaving breaths, "Listen to me..." His voice appeared to fade into whispers almost as his 'other' pulled back at him, actions ignored as the boy slowly continued forward. "Please," he rasped, barely half-way along the docks as Red-Eyes watched carefully from the side. "Please..." Katsuya bowed his head at the words, shaking as sobs wracked his body. Damn it...

He'd been listening the entire time... The entire hellish time, unable to say anything! " _Hnhnhnhnhn..._ " And instead, he had 'this' for his voice! "My turn isn't finished yet," the Rod announced, the 'ghost' behind him continuing to pull his way across the docks with weakened movements thanks to the injuries sustained from the teeth and flames. "I'm summoning the Rocket Warrior," the monster called out, tablet appearing at his side before smoke wrapped around the outward facing carving. "And using his special effect," he continued with a sneer, "I can weaken your Dragon, taking 1500 points from its attack! Hnhnhnhnhn..." The ghost behind him grit his teeth as blood and dust stuck to sticky and burnt wounds, barely managing to pull his leg back out of the water from where he'd been thrown. Clearly... The Rod had far too much time to get used to his body... Given the comfort he had in all of his smoothly made movements.

Just slightly across from him now however the item's opponent wasn't appearing to listen, instead continuing forward as his friend looked toward him miserably. "...Jonouchi-kun," Yugi was saying again, holding the puzzle forward on its chain with a wracking cough as he shuddered. "If I keep this," he whispered, "Then... When I..." When what?

The end of that sentence couldn't be what he thought it was, couldn't be what his mind told him it was, it couldn't..! " _Yugi_ ," he whispered, pulling himself to his hands and knees as he collapsed to the dock's floor, " _What're y' sayin'... What are y'..._ "

The Millennium Rod's shout for attack cut him off, a torpedo launching from the tablet with an echoing boom. "The Rocket Warrior attacks!" the spirit announced, Red-Eyes roaring as the green and checkered flag marked rocket tore toward its charge. But wait...

That thing was supposed to attack a monster, not the player! " _Gh- You can't do that... Yugi is-_ "

"Hnhnhn... _There's been a change in plans_ ," the spirit said with a nigh demonic grin. " _Besides_ ," he added with a laugh, the grin transferring to the human body as the 'eye's loomed above the blond, " _What the rest can't see won't hurt them... Right?_ " No...

He paled, staring in horror as the rocket spun and twisted in a dart-like motion. No... No, no, n-

NO! The blond shook his head, jumping from his place on the docks with renewed strength as he snatched at the spirit's eyes. " _No!_ " he cried, somehow appearing to the front of the body rather than the back as his bleeding and torn fingers clawed at eyes blossoming from his legs and knees. " _You can't touch him! I won't let... I WON'T LET YOU!_ " he roared, spiritual form enveloped in flames as it was tossed forward into the seas. " _GLACK!_ "

The flaming eyes merely sneered, 'arms' flapping in the wind as they retreated back to the body. " _Tch... Get off of me, PEST!_ " Pest...

He would show him more than 'pest', he growled from within his mind, using the key-box as a hand-hold before launching himself forward with the roars and growls of the dragon behind him. " _I won't... I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!_ "

" _ **GRNNNAAAAAAAOOOOO**_!" And with a pain-filled howl the attack was brought to a screeching halt, a dragon's roar pulling the blond's attention to the field as Yugi appeared to freeze momentarily.

Something had dropped, fallen to the ground, the sound of a splash catching his ears and Yugi's both as the boy turned to look at his side. From beneath the shadow above and beside him the waters seemed to run dark and red with blood, an enormous and black-scaled arm sinking into the seas. Even with that a steady stream of red continued to fall, tatters of what remained from Red-Eyes' right wing hanging on mere sinews as blood pooled beside him. "R... Red-Eyes," Yugi muttered, looking up into bright red eyes as he shook his head. "You... How..!"

Katsuya stared in horror as the dragon merely growled lowly in response, shaking his head. " _No... No_ ," he shouted, tears running down his fist. This dragon... He wasn't even supposed to be fighting now, this was his break, his chance to rest! He shouldn't have been here, let alone suffering the most of all his monsters so far..! " _Red-Eyes!_ " he wept, body sinking into the solid version behind him as he cried. " _Red-Eyes!_ "

" _Gh... Ngh.._." Flames again wrapped around Katsuya's form, the blond tossed off behind him as both the 'spirit' and 'body' both began to react to some unseen force of nature. " _Pain_ ," the Rod cried, shaking his eyes and 'head' both as he snarled. " _Pain, pain PAIN..._ WHAT IS THIS PAIN!" The Rod clutched his right arm with a roar, nails digging into the body's flesh as Katsuya again stumbled to his feet from the side. "RGGAAARRRRGH! WHYYYYYY!"

He felt stronger now... Even as blood was pouring from his arms, he felt... Now. Now was the time...

Now was his chance! The blond again stabbed forward in a spearing motion with his arm, ripping as much of the eye on his 'back' out as possible. Even as teeth closed over on his hands he pulled, digging deeper and deeper into the cold and vitreous jelly making up the object's form as his 'body' began to tremble and shout. " _Get... Out... 'F ... MY ... HEAD!_ " he roared, the spirit screeching in pain with each strike and shout.

"RAAAAAAAAAGH! GET... _GET OFF OF ME!_ " he wailed, grabbing at his head, fingers pulling at his hair as tears dotted the corners of his 'human' eyes. " _GET..._ OUT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING," the item screeched, words jumbled between reality and his mind as he howled in pain. The screams and struggles continued as Katsuya pulled and scratched, moving his arms toward the eyes covering his chest with grit teeth as he again managed to move positions from front to back. " _AAAAAAAAGGH_!" It hurt...

So much it hurt as the teeth clenched into his arms, and as the veins and nerves of the eyes themselves attempted to pull his arms tightly into the object's being as a last defense but he couldn't stop, he couldn't. Not until it was all gone, not until it was completely destroyed! The body fell to its knees as it attempted to physically remove the 'threat', still screaming as Yugi finally made his way to the blond. It was only a momentarily pause that the ghost gave as his voice and the appearance of his other caught his attentions, the Rod itself too pained to pay attention enough to expel him yet again.

What... " _Ghk... Yugi?_ " he asked, literally arms deep in his problems as he turned, " _What're... What're y' doin' here..?_ "

And of course as he stared, there was no answer, Katsuya's hands now entangled in the mess of nerve-fibers that held the Millennium Rod's eye together on his front. "J... Jo... Jonouchi-kun," the boy muttered weakly, grabbing the chain in two hands and holding it forward. The boy appeared to be ignoring the fact that the blond before him was tearing at his own neck and chest, instead continuing on as he moved close with the puzzle in hand. "I don't want this puzzle to sink... And I know that... That the other me can help you... And that you... You can help the other me," he continued, dropping the chain around the body's neck with a swallow. "Because only you and me can see him," he whispered through renewed tears, the teen before him halting his frenzied tremors to take the gold object in his hands. "So... Please... When I die... Keep it for me," he asked, the ghost of his friend growing pale and stiff enough for the Rod to take control yet again.

"Hgn... _HGNA_! " Gh-! Whips of fire and nerves both wrapped roughly around his arms, pulling him into the air before flinging him to the side with a loud and screech. " _GET! OFF!_ " he roared, flames rising and blazing to impossible heights as he pulled himself to his feet. "Hah... Hah... This puzzle..." Katsuya grunted as he fell to the ground, watching as his body stood and moved to the Rod's will. "Now... What should I do with this?" he wondered, subconsciously mouthing the words as Yugi left for his side of the field. Chuckling came through the air with that question, Katsuya paling as he again forced himself from the waters he'd been thrown into. _Would you look at this... If we break this_ , 'his' voice muttered, the blond's spirit growing pale. That voice...

And then... " _Aibou_ ," another voice called out, the source appearing to be the puzzle itself as the Millennium Rod chuckled. " _Aibou! AIBOU!_ " Oh god not that voice...!

Not! "Hnhnhnhnhn..." The Rod began to laugh almost manically as Katsuya stood, a number of feet away from the monster in his body. No... No! "HnhnHAHAHA!" Yugi was across the field, watching with dead and miserable eyes... And for a brief moment as the puzzle was held, he could see the shocked image of the other one, the teen staring in horror as his gaze met with the ghost of his bloodied and scarcely recognizable friend.

" _J... Jonouchi..!_ "

"Hnhnhahahaha... I win," the Rod hissed, ripping the central piece from the puzzle as the other Yugi vanished in a cut scream, the sound resembling that of the unseen wind that had blown the teen into dust. The small piece shone in his hand, and as he dropped the puzzle about his neck and turned to face the seas and Katsuya both, he grinned. "Good bye..~ _I'll wish you luck in Ammit's bowels..._ " No...

NO! He shook his head, ignoring the pain that was caused by his still constricted arms, 'blood' rushing through his head as he spat. " _Like HELL_!" The blond roared as he charged the arm that held the piece, launching himself into the air to spear the eye controlling it as the spirit moved to throw it. " _Gh- N..._ Again!" the demon shrieked, the ghost hanging from the limb even as his legs vanished into some sort of dusted wind. " _Again_!" The arm froze in place as Katsuya drove his hands in further, the body's hand clenched as the Rod attempted to move it with a snarl. This didn't work last time. Not really, all he'd been able to do was 'change targets' but... This time! Flaming arms began to grab at him, the blond gritting his teeth as the fires seared into his skin. " _Get off... GET OFF!_ " the spirit roared, Katsuya pulling the arm toward him and toward the docks below. He couldn't let go... He...

Couldn't... Let... Go!

The fires continued to pull at him, arms loosing strength as the mantra ran through his mind. He couldn't... He wouldn't! With the last of his strength he pulled himself forward, sinking his teeth as far into the eye as possible as his arm was viciously torn from the insides of the eye. Teeth sank deep into the muscles lining the object on his arm, the blond screaming within his head as the spirit's own fangs sunk into his face. His jaw was barely keeping closed... Teeth were boring through his cheek and throat both, and had he been 'alive' he'd have 'died' long before but he wasn't letting go! He wasn't letting go, not at all..! Because Yugi was...

His friend! " _RGAAAAAAHHH_! These aren't my memories!" the monster screeched, the puzzle piece still tightly gripped in its hand despite him not wanting anything to do with it. " _WHAT ARE YOU DOING!_ WHAT IS THIS!" the Rod roared, bringing his arm back down to grab at his head with clenched fists and tightly closed eyes. Memories... He could see his memories Katsuya realized with pained and shut eyes, tears running down his bloodied and burning face. He could remember tossing the puzzle's box back and forth with Honda, teasing Yugi about it... Mazaki...

No, 'Anzu', taking it back just as he'd taken a single piece from the box, the center piece, the eye piece... This piece! He'd felt...

A need to have that piece, he didn't know why. So he'd taken it, and he'd tossed it into the... Seas? No, the pool. The school's pool, right outside the window and closed off until the summer months.

But then the next day, when Ushio jumped him and Honda, Yugi had stood up for them... Getting himself just as beaten as the others, just as horribly injured. So he went...

To the pool...

" _Something you can show, but can't see,_ " Katsuya hissed as he brought his arms from the fires to the eye, mouth releasing the muscles as he tore himself from its jaws. " _Something you can show... But can't see..!_ " And as he'd done on the back he pulled tightly at the strings and ooze of the Rod's eye, his own eyes wide with frenzied rage. " _Something you can show, but can't SEE!_ " he roared, the words his friend told him that day echoing through his mind.

" _Ghra... RNAAAAAAHHH!_ RNRHAAAA AAAAGGGHHH!" He wanted to say those words aloud... Wanted to tell Yugi he was right here, but first there was something he needed to do! With a single hand the blond dove further into the eye on his left arm, grinding his teeth as he continued the mantra in his mind. The depth of the eye was beyond impossibility. He was up to his shoulder, the feel of gold in his hand's now as he tightened his hold on the arm. Something you can show... Something you can... "GHRAAAAA! _WHY!_ " the Rod cried, his left arm coming down as he trembled. "WHY!"

" _I'm getting control of this body back!_ " Katsuya roared, moving his left hand toward his chest to force the puzzle piece back into the pyramid-like device around him. " _I'm takin' what's mine!_ " he continued fiercely as he ripped the hand back from the arm, "No matter what!" With both hands the blond furthered his attack, the body hanging almost limp as it fell back under the force of the ghost's strike to its face. " _EVEN IF I HAVE TO D'STROY BOTH OF US!_ " the blond announced, fingers tearing to shreds as he pulled back on the jaws of the eye on his mouth. Let him speak, let him speak for himself, he roared in his mind, the Rod falling dangerously silent as the eye before him rolled about in terror. " _BECAUSE I..._

"I am a duelist..." The jaw tore open with a sickening crunch, shards of teeth clattering to the ground and bursting into flames. The jaw that held the eye in place hung on limp strands of sinew and fibre as the eye hung forward in its flaming socket, the body's mouth moving with Katsuya's own. "...I'm a fighter... F'r myself, not anyone else. Th' hatred 'f endl'ss years doesn' concern me," he continued with narrowed eyes as he spoke to Malik and the Rod both, "So I'm-"

The blond's head snapped back as the little control he'd regained was forced back, a near sonic-blast of flames sending him back down the side of the dock and against one of the support pillars. " _Ghng! Glrghk! Glack!_ " A mouthful of blood and some other substance flew out of his mouth as he struck the beam, gripping the beam beside him and struggling to his feet. " _Ghnnn..._ "

" _HRAAAAAHHH! AAAAAARRRAAAAAAHH! YOU..._ " Shit. It was pissed. The blond paled as the body stared him down, what had formerly been a dead yet determined expression now filled with rage. " _YOU THINK YOU'RE SO POWERFUL?_ " the Millennium Rod raged as its eye ripped from the 'socket' over the mouth, jaw following behind it in a whirl of flames to turn on his former host. " _YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN BEST ME WITH MERE POT SHOTS,_ " it snarled as the eye itself opened to reveal nothing but shadows and flames, the teen before it stepping back with horrified chokes, " _THAT TO FREE A SHARD OF MY BEING MEANS YOU WIN!_ " The ghost swallowed back a wave of fear as he stared forward with wide eyes, stumbling back as the Rod began to do two things at once. "It's your turn!" the body was shouting with a snarl, the 'eye' beside it spreading its flames. "So draw a card!"

But even as it did this, Yugi nodding nervously and doing as told, the spirit itself was approaching its former host with wide and leering teeth, disembodied jaws nothing compared to that of the eye's own 'mouth', snapping. Snarling...

But if this meant he was close... " _Tch... Yeah, I think I can,_ " the blond spat, lunging at the body again with a feral cry. " _An' seein' how attackin' th' head is gettin' th' most results,_ " he snarled as he 'misted' above his own body in a roar, " _I think I'll keep at it!_ "

Squelches and crunches hit the air as Katsuya pulled at the hair and teeth near his eyes, ignoring the nearly skeletal remains of his hands. " _GRAAAAHHH! And I told you... It's FUTILE! You stand NO CHANCE_ ," the spirit snarled, forcing the blond to slip down the body's back as he continued his attacks. " _RAAAAAGHHH! GLK-_ "

A handful of eye was ripped from the throat's 'joint', tossed to the side where it burst to flames as Katsuya breathed haggardly. " _Y' say that now... But yer screams 'r tellin' me otherwise!_ " the blond spat, wincing as teeth clamped his arms into place. " _Gn- GHA_!" Ghn... Move...

It! " _What on earth..._ " Katsuya's eyes flung open, jaw still clenched tight as he turned. That voice!

" _Gh... Y-Yu... Other Yugi!_ " The voice was there, but where was-

" _Jonouchi,_ " the other Yugi shouted more clearly, a 'mist' appearing to rise from the side as his voice echoed. " _You... Is that-_ "

The shade appeared just to the side as Katsuya freed his first hand to gain a grip on his body's hair, the firey spirit of the Rod continuing to snarl as its shard and eyes turned on the newcomer. " _Oh look,_ " he hissed, teeth widening in the face of the shadowed spirit beside them. " _The PHARAOH... Here to join the party?_ " he spat, Yugi taking his turn from across them in the meantime.

The other Yugi appeared frozen on the spot in light of what he could now see, his eyes wide with terror at the firey monster and the haggard, shredded form of his friend's spirit. " _What in the name of the Gods..._ "

"Gh... There's no time t' explain," Katsuya cried, pulling at jaws covering his eyes despite the teeth that were burrowing into his skin. " _I can't... I won' let Yugi die... Gh... Little help 'd be nice!_ " he added with a strangled and questioning choke, the freed shard of the Rod attempting to pull the blond off with flaming 'arms' once more. The fires were wrapped and threaded into his neck, his arms forced from the toothy eye as he attempted to free himself. " _Gh- Please..?_ "

The darker spirit immediately nodded, responding with a swift knife-hand to the eye that was strangling his friend. A hissing scream shot through the air as the monster was buffeted away, the other Yugi hovering in the air with a determined nod. " _Tch! Gladly!_ " he shouted, watching as his friend continued attacking the eyes before him. " _But Jonouchi..._ " The teen paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the 'ghost' before him. " _When this is over... You will explain, understand?_ " he warned, Katsuya nodding furiously as the teen behind him was again distracted with the floating 'eye' above them.

" _Anythin'... Anythin',_ " the blond shouted, adjusting his grip on the eye he was getting rid of. " _Jus' don' let Yugi die,_ " he begged, before freeing the last of the jaws on his face with an echoing snap. " _Don' let 'm-_ "

" _GRNAAAAAAAAAHHHH_!" The Millennium Rod gave a howling cry, his attackers momentarily pausing as the shorter watched his target flail and struggle with rage. " _SFFFFFFF_ ... _Youuuuu SCUM! FILTH of the NILE!_ " Tch! Blood dripped from Katsuya's hands before a larger blast of fire blew the blond back, his friend barely protected by the confines of his own puzzle. " _I WARNED YOU... I WARNED YOU_! " Gh- Some warning! " _I don't care what sorts of powers this body holds now_ ," the spirit snarled, the Other Yugi re-appearing to look back at Katsuya's fallen form with wide eyes. " _As far as I care, you can BOTH die! All I need to do is make sure that you kiddies sit tight and enjoy watching your own deaths!_ " he cackled, the two 'ghosts' both looking at the flaming monster with nausea and distaste, " _So sit back... ENJOY THE SHOW!_ " he roared, a tablet appearing to his side as he switched back to 'reality'. "I summon the Panther Warrior," the Rod announced, carving filling with smoke for the monster to step out, "And I attack!" Gh...

NO! The black-cat stood at the side, the ghosts attacking the Rod's form powerless as the monster made its decision. What happened in the duel was out of their control... What happened next would kill Yugi, and what they did to the Rod meant nothing. But rather than charging forward as he normally would the cat merely hissed, hairs standing on end as he looked to the blond at his side. " _You... You're NOT my partner..!_ "

They were... Partners?

The ghosts continued to watch with wide eyes, the fires around the Rod's eyes flickering in annoyance as the body grit its teeth. "I wouldn't complain if I were you," the Rod warned, the Panther quickly growling and snarling in response.

" _Tch! So you take his form and DARE to ask THAT? No wonder the Alligator was in such a foul mood,_ " the cat spat, backing away as it leered at the other monster by his 'summoner's side. " _You can count me out- I don't fight against the 'rules of combat'! In fact,_ " he added, Yugi activating his trap from across the field as an idea formed. " _How about I do this instead?_ "

As the panther charged toward the Rocket Warrior on his own side of the field the Other Yugi stared, eyes wide in confusion. " _How?_ " he 'asked', both himself and Katsuya momentarily pausing out of shock as the tablet holding Rocket-Warrior's prone and torpedo-like form launched the monster out toward its attacker. " _How is this happening..?_ "

" _I'll tell y' what,_ " Katsuya said with a swallow, watching as the Panther warrior crumbled to the ground from the Rocket's wounds, a nasty and bleeding gash on the monster's side as it struggled to keep consciousness. " _I'll explain after... But f'r now!_ " he continued, cracking his knuckles as he tore at the body again, " _Next target... Th' chest! HRAAHH!_ "

" _Tch!_ Fight all you want!" the Rod hissed, flames wrapping around its remaining eyes as it struck the two boys attacking him. From across the field Yugi was sacrificing his Magnet Warrior for 'Gilfer', attacking the Rocket Warrior to destroy it easily. The tablet was crumbling into dust as the boys attempted to push through the fires, the flames forming a bizarre shield of sorts over the eyes. But even as the monster was destroyed the spirit paid it no mind, instead continuing to glower at the two boys. "Tch..." With a wave of violent and hot flames the two were thrown back, the 'Other Yugi' to one side and Katsuya to the other. " _Like I said,_ " the 'demon' snarled, " _I no longer care... Whether you take control or not, BOTH of you will DIE, mark my words! Hnhnhnhnhn..._ " Both of them? And how did he... How did he expect to do that! " _Hnhnhahaha! I wonder... When that happens, I wonder... 'Little Pharaoh'... Will you end up waiting for another host?_ " he asked, the other Yugi currently batting the fires on his clothes off to glare at the Item. " _Or will both of you end up stuck in this puzzle?_ " the spirit continued with a dark laugh, the ghosts both jumping with confused shock and horror at the statement. "After all... _This is MY body now_!" he cackled madly, " _And_ I still have plenty of life points to spare! The demon's flames mean NOTHING!" he spat, even as the ghosts behind him stared at the flames still burning across the ground, swallowing back their fear and attempting to steady themselves. "Now... It's MY TURN! _And now I can just sit back and wait for the time to pass... And with only ten minutes left, that won't be long at all!_ " Wait for-

He was going to just let them both drown! Tch! " _I told y'_ ," he spat with a roar, knuckles cracking, " _That ain't gonna happen No matter what... NO MATTER WHAT!_ " the blond roared as he charged, his friend doing the same with grit teeth. " _I'M GOIN' OUT FIGHTIN'!_ "

" _IN THAT CASE,_ " the Millennium Rod announced with a grin, " _LET'S MAKE IT A FIGHT YOU WIN! I'll make my own decisions this time around... If it's a fight you want then so be it! It'll be a fight that costs you the life of your most precious friend, and your own body! HNHNHAHAHAHAHA! THIS will be INCREDIBLE_!"

Not if he could help it god damn it! "Jonouchi-kun?" Yugi was asking from across the field as both spirits charged the body across from him. "Do you remember our promise in the duelist kingdom?" he continued, unable to see that his friend was currently partially merged with his own body, arms elbow deep in the 'eyes' lodged to his shoulders as his 'other self' shielded the blond from the flames. "You fought hard to save Mokuba and Kaiba-san! You fought fair and square," the boy called out through his tears, "And in the end, you gave up the battle to keep that promise! So... When I gave you the prize money for Shizuka," he continued with wide eyes, "While we were going home, we promised each other... Until the day you beat me, you can 'owe me one', alright? And... Didn't you enter this tournament to keep that promise?" he shouted, unable to see the wave of flames that were blowing his friends back from the body yet again, both boys landing at either ends of the dock and in the seas with chokes and coughs. "Didn't you enter so that we could fight fairly!"

Katsuya swallowed, weakly pulling himself up the dock as the other Yugi did the same. " _Gh... This 'thing',_ " the spirit spat, streaks of blond hair curiously falling at the sides of his face to make him resemble his lighter half as he choked. " _This..._ "

“ _Th' Millennium Rod_ ," the blond hissed, swallowing as his friend stared. " _You... You think I'm gonna let y' go through with this?_ " he growled, the body in question setting two cards face down as he ended his turn. The eye above it turned to look at the ghost, the body as well narrowing his eyes to glare at him. " _I told you that this... Is my body,_ " Katsuya snarled, running forward even as his 'partner's' eyes widened. " _An' I told you... THAT I WON'T LET YOU KILL HIM! RGHAAAAAA!_ "

" _J-JONOUCHI!_ " the other Yugi shouted, abruptly vanishing from sight as he was re-called to the puzzle. With a clawed gesture the blond charged head first toward the body, forgoing original tactics in his desperation. It was his body damn it... His...

And he wouldn't let...

Fires erupted in his vision as he ran through the form, eyes clenched shut momentarily as he blindly swung at the beast he'd targeted. But instead of screams he heard laughter as he opened his eyes, abruptly halting his movements as the voice of the Millennium Rod became clear and booming in tone. " _Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... Hnhnhahahahaha..."_ Laughter echoed all around Katsuya as he swallowed back a shout, body restored to its 'original' state as he began to grow pale. " _Well now_ ," the 'Rod' said with a low chuckle, " _This is an interesting development..._ "

For a moment, the blond thought he was back where he started. That he was back under the thumb of the Rod in his mind, back to watching without the ability to move. Before him through a curtain of flames, he could quite clearly see Yugi attacking his monster with the Archfiend of Gilfer, only for Graceful Dice and Skull Dice both to activate at once from crumbling tablets. But instead of pulling through with their magic, a 'De-spell' from Yugi's side was activated to dispell the Graceful die... With the Skull die failing horribly as the demon put his Panther out of his misery, lowering the Rod's lifepoints considerably. There was no time left though...

There was no time... And it was with that thought in mind that he realized he wasn't looking through a curtain of flames, and that his body was still under control. It was a window that stood before him now, and at his feet hot and steaming sand that was burning from between his toes. "Where is this place?" he found himself muttering, staring through the window with wide eyes as his and Yugi's lifepoints both became identical in number. The fires licked around the 'window' in an almost framing motion, as though what was through it was far out of reach for its source. "Where..."

" _Hnhnhn..._ " Slowly Katsuya turned to the voice behind him, seeing nothing but flames and ruined, charred wood around him as he swallowed. " _We're in the remains of your MIND_ ," the Rod hissed, the remains of what looked to be a stable house or loft collapsing around him. A stable... Why was he in- Hell, how did he know this was a- " _A horribly simple room,_ " the spirit continued with a sneer, " _And yet even as simple as it was, it was so difficult to conquer ..._ " Gh... " _But of course,_ " it added, still invisible to the blond's eye, " _Everything comes to an end at some point..._ "

Gh..! "Where are y'!" the blond roared, eyes narrowed as he looked around the sandy and blistering room. The dog-tags around his neck dangled and gathered the heat of the flames, sweat evaporating off his skin as he stepped further inward. "SHOW YERSELF!"

He quickly regretted saying that, as chuckling sounded around the room in response. " _Hnhnhnhnhn_... **As you 'wish',** " the Rod hissed, a section of the flames appearing to move forward as it continued to laugh. " **I've drawn the 'winning' card anyways** ," he said with a sneer, footprints appearing in the sand as his target paled. " **I doubt you'll stand much longer after this... There's three minutes left now, and when that happens the anchor will fall and take your dear friend with it... Hnhnhnhnhn**..."

"You..." Katsuya stumbled back with trembling eyes, watching as a charred and blackened skeleton stepped through the flames. From the fires wrapped around its body the blond could see a single golden iris staring toward him, the large eyeball jammed in the skull's right socket as ashen bone reached forward. "What... What th' hell are you?" the blond hissed in fear, the flames around the skeleton forming a twisted silhouette of his own body as it pushed through the sand.

" **I'd have thought it was obvious** ," the monster whispered, flexing its hands as his host shook. " **I'm 'you** '," it announced, pulling its hands back and cracking its neck. " **I am your 'thoughts', your 'HATE'... I am that which lurks in all MINDS, the darkness that lies within all HEARTS... I.. AM the Millennium Rod,** " the demon cackled, the blond shaking with rage. " **And I am that which will consume ALL things as I see FIT!** "

'Him'? "Yer sick," the blond spat, shaking his head as he swallowed. "Yer... Tch!" Katsuya clenched his fists, charging forward as the skeleton laughed. "Yer d'spicable..! You don' d'serve t' exist!" he roared, swinging his fists blindly forward as the skeleton dodged with ease. "You're a MONSTER!"

" **Hahahahaha! Yes, yes I AM, AREN'T I**!" the Rod howled, ducking another swipe as what appeared to be organs formed within its skeleton. Katsuya paused momentarily, standing back as he watched the intestines and stomach develop in front of him before snapping himself out of it. This thing...

He had to destroy it! "Stand still... Die... Die... DIE!" he roared, charging after the beast with blind and aimless strikes. "My memories... My friends... You tried t' take everything!" he cried, finally sending the skeleton across the room with a strong fist as the beast grew muscles over his form. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE!" he screamed, standing as shouts of 'kill' echoed around him, the monster standing to reveal that of all the things it developed a heart was missing from its musculature. "WHY DO YOU HAVE T' TARGET US!"

And still the dark chuckling came through the air, Katsuya launching himself at the monster with a roar as his body as well screamed in reality, as the two Yugi's, the Kaiba siblings, and all those at the docks watched and listened to the blond howl in conflicted rage. " **You have to ask**?" the flaming copy asked with a laugh, skin and hair now appearing on its form in a darkened, shadowed mimicry of Katsuya's own being. **"YOU REALLY HAVE TO ASK! All I want is for HIM to DIE,** " he roared, cackling grin on his place as he stared through his sole, golden eye. " **THAT'S ALL**!" Shut up... " **And deep down you want that too 'KATSUYA'!** " Shut UP... " **You're just as bad as the rest of the world when it gets down to it, ADMIT IT! My faults are just as much YOURS**!"

"SHUT UP! THAT'S IT!" the blond roared, grabbing his head as as he cried, the monster that now bore his face vanishing to stand by the window with a grin. "I DON'T... I don't want that in my memories," he wailed, eyes clenched shut as his voice was mirrored in reality. "I CAN'T PUT THAT IN MY MEMORIES!" And yet already on the disk, that card was...

The direct attack was... " **Hnhnhnhn... It's futile 'Black one'...** " The Millennium Rod walked toward him, stopping a number of feet away as flames licked around the hole in his chest. " **Face it! You've lost... And this** ," the beast continued with a sneer, gesturing to his body. " **This is mine**..." No...

NO! "It's not," he shouted, eyes flying open with bloodshot rage as he screamed. "I WON'T LET YOU!"

" **Go ahead and shout then,** " the beast called with a grin, black hair flying wildly in the fires and wind. " **You only make me stronger ... Didn't you hear me? I am every dark thought that lies within you, and every shred of hate you dredge up is also MINE! The more you SCREAM the more you give IN! YOU. HAVE. LOST! HAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA**!" Monster...

This monster..! " _MALIK_ ," Yugi was saying from outside the window as his friend grit his teeth and wept, " _I know you're possessing my friend right now... So listen to me,_ " he roared, voice cutting across the air with ease. " _The real loser of this duel... It's not Jonouchi-kun_ ," he continued. " _It's YOU_! " What? He was saying... " _Open your eyes_ ," Yugi shouted, eyes wide with anger. " _Jonouchi-kun has been forcing you out of his heart since the beginning... You can't make him give in! He's beaten you! So try your best Malik! Because in these final minutes of the duel_ ," he shouted through his tears, _"I know he'll break free! And even if we BOTH die,_ " the boy went on, not once stumbling over his words, " _The memory that you LOST will forever be branded into your thoughts!_ " Yugi..!

"What are you doing," he found himself whispering with fear-filled eyes, shaking his head. "Yugi what are you-"

" **Hnhnhnhnhn... Such strange friends you have,** " the Rod drawled, crossing his arms with a leering smirk. " **My master really hates him now! He's putting all his hate into this next card,** " he continued, the window moving to reveal his duel disk as a card was slipped into place. " **This card that will destroy him... And then it's all over... Hnhnhnhn...** " Gh...

"No... I WON'T LET YOU," he snarled, the Rod appearing to move further and further away despite his body remaining perfectly still. "I-"

" **Please! You can't do anything about this** ," the Rod sneered, villainous grin on his face. " **Besides... You shouldn't argue with your friend!** " Argue..

" _Attack me!_ " Yugi was shouting, the blond unable to do anything but stare at the window and his copy both as he fell to his knees. " _Now, with all you have!_ " No...

He couldn't, he couldn't... This heartless bastard... **"With pleasure,** " the Rod sneered, the card on the disk activated with a single touch. And as the Rod turned around to watch his handiwork, he realized it. Maybe it was too late...

Maybe he'd realized it far too late to change everything. The card was set on the field already after all, the seas already converging as the skies and waters both ran red. It was probably too late...

But if he was going out, he'd at least try and turn the tables. "You were right..."

" **Hnn..?** " The Rod turned, a look of confusion on his face. " **What's this now..?** " Katsuya's expression of rage died down to a look of stern realization, the blond shaking his head.

"Th' 'hate', th' 'anger'... It really is powerin' y', isn' it," he continued, hands hanging limp at his sides. "I can't kill y'," the blond admitted as he shook his head, "Not like this... But what yer missin'... A heart... A 'soul'," he muttered, looking down at his shirt as the dog-tags gleamed in the firelight. "I wasn' lookin' in th' right place at all... Th' whole reason yer here, th' reason you can do this... It's righ' here ain't it?" he shouted, holding out the arm that Malik had cut with his blade.

The copy paled immediately as the blond leered at the eye blossoming from his arm, shaking its head as what had formerly been invisible to the teen's eyes became clear as day. " **No... NO!** " he screamed as he ran forward, eyes wide with terror, " **DON'-** "

"TAKE THIS MALIK!" the blond roared, grabbing the eye and ripping it from his bleeding arm with a snarl. The squirming eyeball appeared to 'scream' as the blond held it in his hands, the humanoid form across him wailing and collapsing as Katsuya crushed the eye between his fingers. With a howling cry the monster before him degenerated, hands held out in pain as it went from skin to muscle to bone to ash... "I B'LONG T' NO ONE!" The flames continued to whirl, as though a vacuum was pulling them from the room around him... Shouts filled the air, his head pounding as he squeezed his eyes shut under the fires. Hurt... It hurt so much... Ahhh... AHHHHH...

" _HAAHHHHH!_ " The attack...

If he'd won against the Rod, then he had to stop the attack, so if this shout could please make it...

" _NO_!"

Storms sounded above him, the blond wrenching his eyes open as tears ran freely down his face. The sunlight almost blinded him despite the pale shine it gave, Katsuya shaking his head as the blocked tears were allowed to run at last. Meteor of Destruction was on the field, a direct-attack spell, a fact he knew only because of that accursed ability that had so likely saved his ass. But the fact was it was already in effect, an enormous, sun-like object appearing in the center of the sky and hurricane like clouds as he cried. Too late... Too late..! "YUGI! Yugi..! You can't die," he begged, shaking his head as rumbling filled the air from the approaching comet above. "You can't!"

The boy immediately broke into a smile, voice briefly overpowered by the winds around them as he activated his spell. He still knew what he was saying though...

He still knew... "Jonouchi-kun... Hah... Activate the trap Mystical Rift Panel!" he announced, the tablet beside him shattering as an angel arose with a mirror. The meteor's power was siphoned into the glass at exactly the last minute, filling the mirror with raging storms as its summoner smiled through his tears. Two minutes of time left... "Jonouchi-kun... You... You woke up," he cried with relief, shaking his head. "I'm so glad... Even if it took this long, I'm so happy..."

"I... I know I... ...I..." He couldn't... The blond crumpled to his knees, shaking his head as he held it in his hands. "Yugi," Katsuya cried, tears running down his face. This card... It would save Yugi, and thank god for that but... "I'm so sorry!" he shouted, unable to hold back the tears in what were revealing themselves as his last moments. "This fight... It wasn't supposed to happen, never supposed to happen, I'm sorry..."

Yugi merely shook his head, clicking his duel disk off and placing it on the ground before him. "It's alright... You're back," he said with a smile, the dragon beside him appearing to nod in agreement to this despite his grievous wounds. "That's all that matters... And besides... We were never really fighting anyways," he said with a tear-filled laugh, the blond across from him weeping at the sight. One... Minute left... Fifty-nine seconds... Fifty-eight... "We've both won," Yugi said with a sad smile, a slow and calming breeze blowing past as he spoke. "This card here bought us just enough time, so that I could say everything... So that I could make sure you heard everything... Jonouchi-kun..." He was sorry...

So sorry damn it, that he had to leave like this, he... ...Why...

Why did he take the disk off, he still needed to activate the second half of the spell..! If he didn't... "You have to listen to these words, no matter what!" Yugi cried, his friend shaking his head in realization. "You taught me that I wasn't alone here... You showed me courage, even if I didn't understand at the time!"

"Don't... Don't," he begged, shaking his head, "Not after all this..." The card would automatically eliminate itself and allow the attack through in twenty more seconds... Nineteen...

The boy choked, still smiling as the angel's mirror above began to crack while he cried. "Jonouchi-kun... You're my best friend... And I love you," he continued with tear-filled eyes, the angel above straining under the force of the spell. "But I won't let you die! I TAKE THE HIT!" he shouted with stone determination, the mirror turning on him as the world grew silent.

"NO! NO," he shouted, the cries appearing mute to the world as fires blocked Yugi from his sight, the flames launching from the mirror as the angel disappeared into dust. "YUGI! YOU CAN'T DO THIS DAMN IT, YOU CAN'T! YUGI!"

_-click_

He couldn't see Yugi through the fires, and even if he could see anything he could only see the shadow of Red-Eye's bleeding form, the monster's black scales providing just enough contrast in the light. And although he knew the box at his feet was open now, all he could hear was Yugi's last few words as he begged him to live, before finally loosing consciousness. ' _Take the key_ ', he whispered. _'Live on..._ ' No...

NO! "You idiot," he muttered, shaking his head. "Y' DAMN IDIOT!" Katsuya's voice echoed across the waters as the fires dissipated, tablets crumbling to dust before him as he cried. "HOW COULD I JUST LET YOU DIE!?" he roared, ripping his duel disk off and dropping it to the side as he gripped the chain around his neck. The duel was over...

Yugi was going to die but...

" ** _Groooooooo..._** "

The blond's eyes continued to fill with tears as he looked at Red-Eyes, hands still gripping the chain of the Millennium Puzzle as their eyes met. Thirty seconds left of the minute he'd been given. Twenty-nine... Twenty-eight... He pulled himself to his feet, pulling the puzzle from his neck and lightly dropping it to the ground beside him. "...Red-Eyes!" he called out, swallowing as the dragon stood before him on bleeding and broken limbs. "If this is real," he began with a choke, "If any of this isn' a hallucination, an' you're really there..." He shook himself, watching the monster rear to its full and incredible height before him. "...Attack me!" he shouted, the dragon giving a short and shocked growl in response as his 'true' owner held his arms open for attack. Come on... Come on! "ATTACK ME!"

" _ **Gr... GRAAAOOOO**_!" The monster raised his head with a curt nod, a blast of flames spitting across the field as Katsuya gripped his chain for support. Life-points to zero... He was on fire but he didn't care, even as the flames vanished with the dragon's own tablet and form...

Biting back the pain he dove forward into the water, swimming the remaining feet he'd missed with the jump to get to Yugi. Thank you, he whispered in his mind, the remaining monsters vanishing from the field along with the tablets. Thank you!

Five seconds left. Katsuya grabbed the edge of the dock before him, pulling himself up to snatch the key from Yugi's own box with a swallow. Three left. He just needed to unlock the cuff around his wrist he told himself, hopping up and running along the dock at a stumble toward where the boy had fallen. That was all, he just needed to-

Shit.

Zero.

With an enormous splash the anchor fell, slack vanishing in a near instant as Katsuya turned in horror to watch his and Yugi's chains slink into the water. With a sudden jolt the two were pulled back by the chains on their wrist, the air was knocked right out of his lungs as he fell. Yugi's own body left a trail of bubbles behind him as he was pulled under almost right beside him, the blond attempting to think clearly in the resulting panic. The key... He had to unlock him..! He had the key in his hands, so he had to...

Yugi's wrist was snatched toward him by the chain around it, floating slightly like some bizarre balloon as they sank. Come on... The key was jammed into the hole, jiggling and turning as Katsuya grit his teeth. Come on... Though he couldn't hear the click as he sank, he could see the cuff come loose, Katsuya pulling Yugi's wrist free before pushing the boy's body upward with a rough and desperate shove. He was floating... Floating...

Floating away to the surface above. For a brief moment, he could see his eyes open, the boy blinking sadly as he weakly reached forward. Sorry Yugi, he thought with a sad smile, the same 'flash' and gut feeling telling him that the key he'd now dropped was useless on his own cuff. But yer a real friend... I can't let y' die...

The anchor was still pulling him down... He was running out of what little air he had now, he knew that much, despite the lack of panic he held for some reason. This was it, he told himself, the last of his air released from his lungs as he continued to hold his 'breath'... Spots were filling the blond's vision as he was slowly pulled down, closing his eyes despite the panic his body was running in without oxygen to feed off of. He was dying. Just like that stupid Millennium Rod had said... _'One will die_ ', and that 'one' was him. He'd never see Shizuka again, never see Yugi, see his friends... See Mokuba... Seto...

_I wonder what you'd 'v said_ , he wondered as his eyes opened blearily to the distant sky above. _If I'd 've told you I..._

With those thoughts in mind, he could no longer hold consciousness, water filling with lungs as a shadow passed over his form...

* * *

The final events of the duel had passed in a blur once the 'Meteor' had been summoned. She'd known she had no time, even with the timer well out of view across from them. But she couldn't do anything about this she realized bitterly, teeth grinding as her eyes narrowed. Nothing...

Nothing at all. But as her hands brushed against the thin cord around her neck an idea formed, a crazed, scarcely plausible plan that she would likely berate herself for in the coming days no matter how well it did or didn't work. She only had one chance...

Looking back in the corner of her eye, the ghouls were more or less watching the duel before them, rather than paying attention to the cord now weaving in and out of her fingers as she pulled it upward. One chance, she told herself, fingers pulling at the cord around her neck with subtle movements. Only one...

Now. The card-shaped pendant was pulled from around her neck, and as Yugi's trap was activated she made her move. With a swift step back the pendant was thrown, the ghouls momentarily distracted by the shine it caused as it gleamed in the light, the one holding her brother pulling back with a scream as the sharpened corners of the locket struck him in the eye. "GRAAAAGH!"

Mokuba dropped to the ground, knife clattering at the side as the ghoul reached for his face with a scream, former captive turning to his sister with wide eyes. "S-Seto-n-"

"Get down!" she shouted briskly, the boy ducking without an argument as his sister's long legs connected with his captor's skull. That kick was not enough... Not to knock him out the woman thought as she charged, nor for her to sufficiently pay the scum back for their actions. The woman's leg was pulled back for her to charge forward, fist swinging in a smooth arc to knock the ghoul's head back further as a crack came through the air. "HRAH!"

Snapped neck left 'asshole-1' either paralyzed or dead not that she cared about the first. The second ghoul however paled, another knife in hand as Seto ignored him. "Y-You..!" The woman turned with a near demonic glare as the likely dead ghoul at her feet stared blankly upward, fists clenching before she turned back and ripped the locket from the ghoul's socket. To think... She'd thrown it with enough force for it to get stuck...

"You snakes are more than dead," she spat, grabbing the extended fist and knife her opponent threw forward in her free hand. Such a piss-poor way to attempt an attack... The woman pulled on the fist with an audible snap, slamming the locket-holding hand into the man's face a number of times as the ghoul's nose bled profusely. "You take my brother, you take Jonouchi, you take their friends..!" Die, die die..! She released the arm, pulling her fist back again to land another, solid punch as she snarled. "If you're still alive, don't expect to be for too long!" she sneered, spitting on the ground the ghoul now collapsed on as she wiped her locket clean. The pendant was fastened back around her neck, ragefilled eyes still staring at the bodies as she made no effort to calm herself. "Tch..." Now...

To deal with that ti-

" _Attack me!_ " a familiar voice shouted, the tone and speech patterns matching to the familiar ones she'd grown so used to hearing from the other end of her table. Jonouchi... She turned, Mokuba following her gaze as the shout was repeated at a louder level, both siblings swallowing at the sight that met their eyes. " _ATTACK ME!_ "

With an ear-splitting roar the blond was answered, steam filling the air from the seas and clearing to reveal the now soaking teen half-way to the other side of the dock. The timer above them...

Seto squinted momentarily, her brother coughing in the resultant smoke and steam before following her gaze. It read... "No..." The siblings ran, the timer counting down regardless of what they wanted. Three seconds...

She was at the entrance to the impossibly long dock, Mokuba barely half-way along it, and Jonouchi grabbing the key from the box as he ran for Yugi.

Two seconds, Anzu's eyes abruptly closed over, her body collapsing to the ground. One second, and the blond was turning in horror as...

Zero. The anchor was released with a sudden and emotionless drop, the splash briefly stopping Mokuba and his sister in their tracks before they ran forward, expressions of horror on both of their faces as the chains began to pull forward. The anchor had sunk... As Mokuba reached the edge of the docks he arrived in time to watch as Yugi and Jonouchi were pulled under, a look of cold horror on the blond's face as he disappeared below the waves. "Y-YUGI!" the boy screamed, eyes wide as he fell to his knees at the edge. "KATSUYA-NII!" No...

NO! The woman swallowed, charging to where the blond's disk still stood. Yugi had directed the attack toward himself, so how... The puzzle was there on the ground, the duel disk beside it, and in the box... It was right there. Shining in the light of the dying sun, the key! "You idiot," she hissed, snatching the key up from the box as she looked to the water. Jonouchi had quite clearly grabbed something from the other side... Idiot...

IDIOT! A shadow began to rise from the waters, Seto turning to her brother with a stern shout as she pointed toward it. That moron had managed to free her rival and leave his 'greatest treasure' at the side... While forgetting his own key!

"Mokuba! Get Yugi out of the water!" she roared, tightening her grip on the key as she moved to dive forward.

"Nees-" The boy paled, watching his sister back up for a running start. "But what about-"

"Do it!" she shouted as she jumped, a resounding splash piercing the air as she held her breath. Idiot...

The woman's eyes stung slightly as she opened her eyes, the sea-water blurring her vision as she swam forward. Idiot, idiot idiot! She wasn't letting him do this... She wasn't letting him kill himself! The woman moved forward in a smooth, streamlined fashion, soon switching into a breast-stroke as she pulled herself further into the seas. The water wasn't 'infinitely' deep here... She could make it... She could-

The blond's floating body met her gaze as she narrowed her eyes, a small bit of air escaping her as she made her way toward him. There... There he was...

A small stream of bubbles had escaped his mouth as she approached, and were still escaping from the pockets in his shoes and clothes from what she could see through the blurred ocean water. Seto swam toward the chain and snatched out at it with her free hand, pulling his wrist forward and unlocking the cuff holding it down as she wrapped an arm around the limp teen. Please...

Please don't be dead she mentally cried, jaw clenched as she adjusted her grip and kicked up through the waters. Up...

Up and up and up she swam, turning her eyes toward the light as she swallowed and released more air. It was getting harder to keep calm... And it was far more difficult now, swimming with one arm, to swim. But it wasn't that far... It wasn't... She could see the light above her, and-

"PHAAH! AHHHhhh..." The woman choked as she broke the surface, adjusting Jonouchi's body so his head was out of the water as she headed for the dock. There! There... Alright... They'd come this far now...

Now... He had to live..!

Seto pulled herself onto the dock, dragging the blond out with an expression of mixed worry and coldness as she pulled him further onto the wooden floor. On the other side Mokuba was helping Yugi up and out of the water, attempting to wake him... Anzu had collapsed, wind lightly brushing over the girl...

But she had no time to think of these things she told herself as she moved, pulling the jacket flaps on Jonouchi's chest out of the way as she laid the blond's body out flat. No time...

Tilt the head, she told herself silently, quickly doing just that as she brought her own head down and checked for breathing. It was probably a foregone hope to think that the Mutt hadn't been under long enough to be rid of that though, despite the pulse that was thankfully still present beneath her finger tips. It had been a hope though, she thought with a swallow. It had been...

The woman sat up, one hand folded over the other as she began chest compressions on the unresponsive teen, pushing down roughly above the heart with grit teeth. Come on... "Five... Ten... Fifteen," she muttered under her breath, eyes wide with desperation as she mentally counted out thirty compressions. "20... 25... 30..." Re-adjust airway...

Plug the nose, administer two breaths, no time to bother with something to use as a barrier... Check for results...

Repeat.

"Five... Ten... Fifteen..." Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud... "Twenty... Twenty five... Thirty!" she half shouted, moving back to re-adjust the head and give the blond two breaths. One... Two...

No response.

"Wake up," she 'growled', water dripping from her hair as she checked for the pulse, cursing the fact that breathing was still nonexistent despite the beating heart. Behind her there were shouts... Anzu was waking up, screaming at the sight of where she was, and what was happening.

_'Oh my god... Where... WHAT..!'_

"Wake UP," Seto almost begged, counting the compressions again in her mind as she gave two breaths and continued on. Five, ten, fifteen... Please... Twenty, twenty five, thirty... Wake up... PLEASE! Screeches from a cars' tires filled the air along with more shouts, but she pushed them from mind as she looked at the blond before her. All she could hear behind her were muddled shouts, drowned out footsteps and damn it...

He couldn't die... He couldn't..! Two breaths...

No response.

"Five," she muttered under her breath as a slight 'crack' came from the air, a rib likely fractured from the pressure she was putting on them. "Ten... Fifteen... Twenty... Twenty-five... Thirty..!" Two breaths...

_'Jonouchi,_ ' they were shouting, the sound of car doors slamming over the air before footsteps and mutterings followed. _'Jonouchi..!'_ Shut up...

Just shut up, for the love of..! "Five! Ten..! Fifteen..!" Breathe... BREATHE damn it, just breathe..! He'd sworn he wouldn't do this damn it, if he would just BREATHE! "Twenty... Twenty-f-"

"Klugh! Kack!" Coughing hit the air as Jonouchi's body gave a shudder, Seto tensing momentarily as the sound cut her thoughts short. Choking... He was...

The woman pulled herself out of the stupor before hurriedly rolling the blond away as the teen began spilling out whatever water and food had been in his lungs and stomach beforehand, choking sounds echoing around them as his airway cleared.

"Kuck... Hah... Hah... Wh... W..." He... He was alive...

Hah... Seto wiped her mouth as she sat back up, moving to help the blond to a sitting position against the support beam as he continued to cough. "Hah..." Thank god...

Now just open his eyes... "Ghk..." Jonouchi stared, eyes barely open as water dripped off of his body. "Wh... Y'..."

"Come on mutt we don't have all day," the woman growled, watching as the blond before her blinked the sea water from his eyes. Not when they had an 'audience' damn it... The light scowl on her face faded as she watched the blond attempt to steady his breathing, briefly distracted by something as she moved to get up. There...

Something was shining in the setting sun around the blond's neck. Something...

...The dog tags. He'd kept...

More coughing came through, the blond looking up somewhat as he squinted. "S... Se... Seto-ch-"

"Bite your tongue, you moronic duelist," she muttered, shaking her head as she stood. "If you can't stand you can't speak." Or at least shouldn't, she added mentally, narrowing her eyes as a grin broke on the blond's face.

"Hah... So yer sayin' I'm a duelist?" he rasped, laughing as the woman stared at him incredulously.

"...Is that really all you can think of right now?" the woman asked dryly, Katsuya merely shaking his head as he continued to laugh.

"Hahaha... I guess," the teen muttered as he attempted to stand before Seto lightly pushed him back down. The blond collapsed somewhat under his own weakness, looking up through blurred vision with a frown. "Nyh..?"

"You just about died a few seconds ago," she growled half-heartedly, moving to walk away from the 'mutt' as she shook the water. "You can sit there until you're looked over by a doctor," she continued, moving to grab Yugi's puzzle from the ground with as blank an expression as she could manage. People were shouting all around them...

Mokuba was running over, his words barely meeting her ears as he handed her the coat she'd been forced to leave at the side an hour or so prior. From one side she could distantly hear one of Yugi's friends muttering... 'What was that,' they were saying, Seto merely pulling her coat on again as she blew wet strands of hair from her eyes. "Nii-sama," Mokuba was saying amid the chaos, the woman walking toward Yugi as he spoke, "Anzu's calling for help and-"

"Mokuba! The phone's dead!" Anzu was shouting 'distantly', "I can't call any one!"

"Yugi," still another voice cried, "Jonouchi!" And beside that voice that of the other woman who had become familiar with the group, Mai...

"Oh my GOD..."

"What the hell happened here?!" yet another of Yugi's friends shouted, running toward the docks as Seto moved to stand above Yugi. "What..!" Tch...

Shouts, shouts, shouts... Nothing but shouts...

The woman dropped the puzzle at Yugi's feet, the boy blearily looking up as Seto met his gaze from where the boy sat. "Never do this again," she growled, coat hanging loosely off her shoulders as her rival slowly took the chain from the ground. "Understand?"

Yugi merely stared, eyes wide and possibly questioning as he looked the woman over. "Kaiba-san..." She turned away, merely watching as the dock quickly filled with people before moving to take her leave before the chaos turned to him.

"Just give me the last word this one time," she whispered darkly, narrowing her eyes as she walked away. Just this once damn it... The boy stared, clutching the chain that was now in his hands for a short, silent moment before pulling it over his neck...

And nodding, before watching the woman leave in silence.

* * *

The most accurate description for what Keiichi saw as the car arrived was 'chaos'. As the car screeched to an immediate stop from the breakneck speed that had been crushing him against the side of the wall all they could see in the dying light was panic, terror, pain...

To one side of the massive dock Yugi was screaming, held back barely by a young, black haired boy who was shouting just as loudly to 'stop' and 'wait', and that it would 'be alright'.

In the center on the far side of the docks, the woman that Yugi was more or less always with was holding her head, looking around before questioned and panicked shouts streamed throughout the air as she dug for something in her purse. ' _An ambulance,_ ' she was crying, pulling out a phone with wide eyes, ' _An ambulance..!_ '

And as the boys and Mai both hurriedly jumped from the car, Keiichi standing near it as they stared and ran closer to the docks, it wasn't long before still more questions were raised. "Oh my God," Mai whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth as they looked at the opposite end of Yugi's side of the dock.

"That... What the hell is Kaiba doing to Jonouchi?" Honda muttered, the group momentarily frozen with shock. The teen before them seemed to be sitting at the blond's side, pushing on Jonouchi's chest with rigid arms and a bowed head before moving to tilt it back and bring his ear down by the unresponsive victim's lips for a brief moment after bringing his own lips to that of the blond's. This... You couldn't laugh at that. You couldn't make a 'kiss' joke...

Because this... "I don't know what he's doing completely... But I'm pretty damn sure that's CPR," Otogi said with a swallow, before running out to the docks. "Gh- YUGI!" he shouted, the boy in question not looking or moving from where Mokuba was holding him back.

"Jonouchi..! Yugi! What the hell happened?!" Honda shouted, following behind as Mai and Keiichi both made their way down the docks. "What's going on!"

Coughing filled the air part way through those words, Kaiba appearing to roll Jonouchi forward before wiping his mouth off and dragging the blond to the side. Alright... So Jonouchi was alive, but-

Yugi stopped screaming at that moment as a shocked expression or relief came over him, Mokuba letting the boy go with a sigh before running toward his brother with something white in his arms. Anzu was shouting something about using her phone...

About it not working rather, before running over to where Yugi stood with worried eyes. Keiichi took a step forward, glancing back at where Shizuka sat in the car with a swallow. She had no clue what was going on. And where could he even begin to answer her questions when they came?

Hell, he had no clue what was going on himself! "Y-Yugi," Otogi was saying across from them with a swallow, Mai merely looking around the dock with disbelief as they walked over. "Yugi what happened here, what..." The group moved back as Kaiba abruptly approached the boy, Yugi's puzzle in his hand. He was saying something...

He couldn't hear him, but as he dropped the puzzle... "What's going on?" Shizuka said with a clear frown, stepping out of the car as Keiichi turned back to her. "What's going on?" she repeated somewhat worriedly, "Why is everyone screaming..? Why..?" The boy swallowed, about to answer before freezing as his friend stumbled blindly forward. Gh-

Shit! "Sh-Shizka..!" Keiichi hurriedly caught the girl, steering her away from the dock's edge with wide eyes as she gave a slight shocked shout. Ahh... How to explain... He... "Shizka," the boy began somewhat nervously. "We're at the pier but..." The boy froze, watching as his friend carefully pulled at the bandages from her face. One slip...

Two... His grip on the girl's arm loosened, eyes widening in shock.

"Wh... Shizka," he sputtered, shaking his head as he attempted to help the girl down the docks, "What're you doing..."

"I... I want to see what's going on," she said with a determined swallow, those on the dock as well looking toward them as Keiichi continued to help his friend on the walkway. "I want to see him," she continued, turning to the boy beside her as the bandages hung loosely on her face.

"S-Shizka," he muttered, swallowing as he stared.

The girl merely held the same determined frown, bowing her head just slightly. "Please... I need..." The bandages continued to pull away, slowly unraveling as she stumbled forward on the dock with a swallow. Sh... Shizu...

"Shizka..."

"K-Katsuya-nihan!" the girl shouted, stumbling away from Keiichi as she blinked and squinted at what were merely blurs in her eyes for the moment. All she could see was the 'red' of the evening sky, the 'black' of the ocean below it, and in the center a mosaic of the dock, her friends, and the pillars supporting the dock itself. "Katsuya-nihan! I... I came to see you!" she called out, Keiichi following close behind lest she fall, "So I..."

"He's over here," a soft voice said, Shizuka's hand lightly taken by the same boy who had been holding Yugi back before. Keiichi stopped following after the girl while she was led away, briefly turning to frown as the same teen who had revived the blond walked past. Why... Why was he leaving? "Katsuya-nii's over here," the boy was saying quietly, leading the girl over as Keiichi turned to look at the group again. "Alright..?" He slowly let go of the young woman's hand before stepping back, briefly staring at the two before retreating after the tallest of the group. Right there...

'Katsuya' in question was leaning against a support pillar at the side of the docks, coughing occasionally as water dripped from his face. As a shadow appeared before him however he had to look up, his own water logged vision blurring the shape of whoever it was that was standing there for a moment.

"Ngh... W... Shizuka?" the blond whispered as the form cleared, voice sounding almost broken as the girl nodded.

"Yes... That's right," she said quietly, "I... ...I..." Shizuka fell to her knees, the gravity and severity of the situation revealing itself as their vision both cleared. Covered in water, with tears in his jacket... The screams, the worried shouts for help, the questions of 'how', of 'what', of 'why'... "K-Katsuya," she cried, launching forward to wrap her arms around the blond. "Katsuya..! You... N..Ngk... You..!"

"It's okay," the blond said through his own barely hidden tears, returning the hug in full strength after the initial flinch and cough. His head was hidden in the girl's shoulder, lip clenched in his teeth as he choked on the tears. "It's alrigh'... I'm still alive," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I'm still here... An' that's all that matters, ain't it..?"

The only response was for the hug to tighten, the last of the suns rays vanishing in the distance as it finished setting the path for the evening. Of course it was...

Of course.


	19. Unneeded Baggage

Cracked ribs were something that admittedly weren't new for Katsuya. He'd gotten them falling from his old apartment railing, from one or too really vicious beatings... Hell, it was probably more than two, he never really bothered counting. As it was they hurt like hell when touched, even when breathing, but seeing how he'd been stupid enough to avoid hospitalization after cracking ribs before, he'd told himself he'd be alright to just head for the finals despite Seto's words.

Even if Shizuka's hug was pushing really, really hard on that rib and...

And... It... Really...

Hurt damn it...

"Shizuka," he finally wheezed, grip loosening as he bit his lip. "I think yer crackin' th' ribs more..."

The girl jumped, pulling back with wide eyes as she looked the blond over. "A-Ahh! You cracked your ribs!?" she shouted, appearing caught between worry and incredulity. The others came over as Shizuka stood, helping her brother up as the blond nodded weakly. "But how... I mean..."

"Well, with the force Kaiba appeared to be using through CPR I wouldn't be surprised," Otogi muttered, crossing his arms. "From what I've been told," he continued, "It's fairly common for CPR to result in at least a small crack, if not a complete break."

"Well yeah," Honda muttered from the side with a frown, "But why was Kaiba giving him CPR in the first..." The teen was quickly cut off as Anzu's cough caught their attention, the woman's eyebrows raised in apparent annoyance as she turned to them. "E-Ehhhhh..."

"Honda!" Anzu shouted with a 'grin', moving over to cross her arms. "Thanks so much for leaving me to deal with this guy while you were in Osaka," the expression becoming more and more forced as she went, "I was just wondering how I would be able to pass on his message..." Hey! 'This guy'! Since when was he 'this-

Katsuya blinked as he caught the end of the sentence, gritting his teeth and turning to the guilty pair with narrowed eyes. "Oh yeah... Since when did you two get my sister's address?" he growled, watching as Otogi and Honda both swallowed nervously. "Don' hold back on th' details now..."

Otogi swallowed, turning to Honda on that. "AHHHHH..."

"W-Well," the taller of the two began, "About that... You see... Er... We..."

"Hey, Jonouchi!” a third voice cut in, saving the two from certain death, "This is your duel disk right?" Ah-

The others turned, a few of them double taking as Ryuzaki handed over the disk in question. It was... A little weird... Seeing the guy without his jacket and hat. Really, really weird, he didn't even have a duel disk o-

Wait, why the hell was he here!

The blond swallowed, taking the disk with a slow nod nonetheless. "Er... Y-Yeah... I..."

"D-Dinosaur Ryuzaki?" Anzu said with slightly wide eyes, Yugi as well gaping as the boy growled. "What on earth are you doing here?”

"Errrrggggh..." The boy merely pulled at his head, scowling. "Why the hell is everyone so shocked that I have a 'life' damn it!"

Shizuka laughed, shaking her head as she 'patted' her friend's shoulder. "I did tell you that if you play cards all day, it would take over it..."

"You shouldn't be right about it though," he groaned, turning on the girl with narrowed eyes. She merely shrugged, laughing quietly.

"Well... Apparently I am," she responded, the boy growling.

"Gh... What's that supposed to mean!"

The girl merely stared, a somewhat broken smile on her face as the boy's scowl quickly faded. "...I..." She bowed her head, wiping what remained of earlier tears before looking back up at the boy. "I really missed being able to see you, Keichi..." E-Ehh! Ke-

No 'kun'! There was no..!

...Remind him to talk to Ryuzaki later on... Alone.

"Oh," Shizuka jumped somewhat, as though just realizing that they had an audience. "That reminds me..." The girl turned to the others bowing politely before lightly pushing her friend's head down in a motion to do the same. "I don't know if Katsuya-nihan told you about me," she began, moving her hand as the boy beside her patted at his hair and scowled, "But I'm his sister, Kawai, Shizuka..." The girl straightened, still smiling as she brushed the hair from her eyes. "Also... Nihan," she said calmly, gesturing to Ryuzaki as the boy looked over the others, "I wan't you to meet-"

"Ryuzaki Keiichi," Katsuya said with a sigh, shaking his head as he met the boy's eyes. He was probably... Just about as tall as Yugi, give or take an inch. "I kinda guessed from th' phone calls an' conversations," he continued dryly, the others trading glances as the boy scowled.

"If either of you all me 'Keichi'," he warned, "I swear to god..."

"Trust us," Honda said with a slight laugh, before dropping to a flat frown. "We won't..."

The unanimous decision hung through the air at that, before another voice cut through. "Well, in any case," Anzu decided with a frown, "If your ribs are really cracked Jonouchi, you should probably get some help..." The others turned to Anzu with the statement, Mai momentarily looking back to check the blond over from her position as the others attentions were drawn back.

Ehhh... Ahahaha...

Compared to the broken rib, everything about the duel was probably hospital worthy really... "It... It ain't that bad," he muttered, wincing as he gave an attempt at a casual shrug. "In all honesty," the blond continued somewhat bitterly, "I've had worse... And really," he muttered with a swallow, "I d'serve worse." Katsuya shifted his gaze to the ground momentarily, bowing his head as he turned to Yugi. "Yugi," he began, not meeting the boys eyes. "All those things I did an' said b'fore... I know that you an' S... An' Kaiba, an' Mokuba were th' only ones here but... It still feels like ev'ryone saw that hell, y' know?" he continued, the others frowning confusedly as the blond went on. "An' ev'n though I know it wasn' really me," Katsuya said quietly, sounding uncharacteristically morose compared to his usual self, "I still can't f'rget what I saw..! An' what could've happened... I can't b'gin to apologise for that," he choked, shaking his head, "I..."

The blond froze as a hand pulled him up, the motion slight enough to pass off as his own. " _Really,_ " the other Yugi said plainly, appearing between his other half and the blond, " _Jonouchi... None of this was your fault._ "

As Katsuya looked at the expression on the spirit's face Yugi's lighter half nodded, his own frown mirroring that of the darker. "The other me is right," he said clearly, the others blinking off the evident confusion at the statement. "He told me... You were fighting the entire time to stop," he protested, "It's not your fault!"

"Ah... I... What's not his fault?" Ryuzaki muttered with narrowed eyes, Mai shaking her head as she looked down at the boy.

"Do yourself a favor hun, don't ask- you'll probably live a much more peaceful life," she added with a smirk, gaining an even more confused glare in response.

"...What..?"

"Heyyyy... Jonouchi," Honda muttered, walking over from the edge of the dock where he'd held a slight distance. The teen now had a very clear look at the condition his friend was in, from the somewhat bloodied arm and brow all the way to his now tattered jacket. "What the hell happened to you anyways?" Uhhhh...

"A good question..." Yes! Very good! Now let him think of an answer! "Your jacket is covered in ash," Mai continued with a shocked whisper, Ryuzaki as well appearing to look at the coat with narrowed eyes.

Katsuya merely moved to re-place the duel-disk on his wrist, nervously attempting to piece something together as he paled. UHHHH...

...Please buy his excuse... "H-Hah... Ah... Must've been somethin' th' Rod did, eh Yugi?" The blond looked to his friend at that, Yugi merely staring momentarily before nodding.

"Y-Yeah... Malik must have done something..." There was a fairly obvious look on Ryuzaki's face that said he didn't feel this answered anything, but thankfully he held silent as the others nodded in response. Silence awkwardly settled over the air as the last light the vanished sun left behind began to darken, the waning moon already visible in the sky. Attempts to begin conversation stalled, the majority of them left with nothing but shifting glances and coughs.

Ironically the odd one out of the group was first to succeed. "Sooooo...You all made the finals huh?" Ryuzaki asked, stowing his hands in his pockets as the group turned.

Shizuka brightened at that, looking to her brother with wide eyes as Katsuya in question stared. "Ah- That's right!" she said with a laugh, "Keichi said you were doing well'in the tournament, does that mean..." Oh..!

That was right, before he'd been kidnapped he'd been all set for the finals! The blond coughed, hurriedly digging into his pockets as the others stared. It would if he still had... "Ah- Hahaha! YEAH!" He pulled out the six cards grinning as he held them out for the others to see in the dying light. "They didn' take 'm! I'm still in!"

"Ah..! Then, if Yugi has all of his cards," Mai added in a hinting tone, the boy in question pulling them from his safely returned belt pocket to show the others.

"Right here," he said with a nod, before carefully stowing them back in the deck holder. "Kaiba-san also has six cards," the boy added plainly, "So counting all of us..."

He trailed off, looking toward Ryuzaki's arm as the boy shook his head. "Lost to Roba an hour in," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "I just came to help Shizka."

"But you can still come can't y'?" Katsuya asked, the boy in question raising his eyebrows at the remark. "I mean, heck... I know I want you there Shizuka! I want you t' see what kind 'f a duelist I am!" he added with a grin, laughing as the others stared in blank confusion. "Got it?"

The girl seemed to study her brother for a moment, before nodding. "Of course! It should be fun, right?" she continued, Ryuzaki giving a neutral shrug.

"Just remember that anything can happen," Mai added with a wink, turning away to her car as the others followed. The woman pulled out her keys, smirking somewhat as she looked back at them. "Try not to feel bad when I beat your brother ah? My power has changed since the Duelist Kingdom," she warned, slipping into her car as the others attempted to follow behind her. "This tournament won't be like last time, understand? Yugi, Jonouchi?"

"Heh!" The boys both nodded in response, Katsuya hopping into the car with a laugh and a wince.

"That's jus' what we're expectin'!" the blond said with a grin. "An' I ain't gonna lose either- so you watch yerself too!"

"That's right," Yugi said with a nod, following behind his friends as they attempted to cram into the car. "We've changed too... We'll be trying our best," he added, Honda and Otogi both climbing in after the others as Shizuka buckled herself in at the front.

"H-HEY, HEY," Ryuzaki wheezed, finding himself crammed on the shoulder-rest between the front seats. The boy shook himself, pulling his bag up and passing it to Shizuka where it was relatively safe. "How the hell are we going to drive like this without getting ourselves killed!"

"Wh-" The driver in question looked at the rearview mirror, gawking as she watched the others attempt to arrange themselves. "You're all getting on?" Mai asked incredulously, Shizuka as well turning from her seat as the remaining five forced their way into the car. Otogi and Honda ended up sitting at either side on the car doors, gripping the sides as they gave up on trying to sit inside the vehicle. And while Ryuzaki was stuck somewhere in the middle, the other three crammed tightly in the near, Yugi and Anzu were both doing their best not to crush their friend's ribs further. The woman shook her head as she stared, dropping her keys. "I can't drive like this!"

"Awww, it'll be fine," Otogi said with a wave, shaking his head as he gripped the back of Shizuka's seat. "Not a problem! Just... Don't go over forty," he added with a nervous laugh, the others narrowing their eyes. Don't go over twenty more like!

And GOD this wasn't helping his ribs... "H-Hey, do we even know where we're going?" Anzu asked with a cough, Katsuya finally forgoing elbow room to sit on the back of the car while Ryuzaki moved to his former spot. The blond attempted to gain a grip on the backs of the seats, eventually finding a safe-spot while the others buckled themselves in. "I mean... We have the locator cards but how do we use them?"

"Ahh..." Yugi swallowed, crossing his arms as the engine to the car turned on. "Well, Kaiba-san mentioned a stadium when he activated his own set, but..." The sound of a chopper hit the air above them, the group looking up as the helicopter passed over. "Ah- His helicopter..!"

"And I'm willing to bet I know where he's going," Mai muttered, easing the car toward the road as she turned to check behind her. "Well, there's one way to find it!" she shouted as she turned back, "But you boys better hold on tight back there; if I'm going to follow this guy I'll have to break a few laws..!"

"A few!?" Ryuzaki asked incredulously before the car abruptly spun around to drive off. The boy was quickly forced to the side of the vehicle, gasping for breath as Anzu and Yugi's combined weight crashed into him. "Ghk! Easy on the corners!" he rasped, the others around him gripping their friend's legs as they fell to one side. "Easy!"

"Well, put it this way," the woman responded somewhat dryly, "If I get any tickets, you kids can pay in full- Yugi and Jonouchi aside," she added, the others looking at the two in question before turning back with scowls.

"W-What?" Honda shouted, ducking forward as they passed a sign, Otogi as well turning to Mai with wide eyes. "How come they don't have to pay!"

"Because they look like drowned rats!" she shouted over the wind, Katsuya in question laughing nervously as the 'other Yugi' joined him atop the back seat.

"O-Oi, oi," he muttered, resisting the urge to scratch his head, "It ain't that bad..."

" _Yes,_ " the spirit beside him responded with a frown. " _Yes it is._ " Thaaaanks... Thanks soooo much...

Shizuka abruptly pointed in the air as the car swerved around another corner, backroads thankfully empty for the moment while the others screamed. "Ah- I can see the helicopter again!" she shouted, the vehicle in question appearing to briefly hover over them as those within it looked down. "He's heading north!"

"Got it!" Mai shouted, Katsuya as well looking up to the air. It was still hovering there, slowly heading in that direction but...

Hahaha... The blond had to grin as an image of the woman who owned the copter in question came to mind, clearly imagining her looking down with a snort as another 'flash' hit him.

' _Hn,_ ' she was muttering, shaking her heads as Mokuba followed her gaze. _'We're being followed by a pack of dogs... Well then,_ ' the woman 'decided', ' _If you have what it takes, then follow after me! Full speed ahead_ ,' she shouted to the pilot, the helicopter charging forward just moments later as he grinned. Hahaha...

He gave a slight saluting wave as he tightened his grip, the others on the car's sides briefly looking at him with raised eyebrows. "You're waving at him?" Honda asked, bracing himself as they swerved into another corner. "Gh-!" He shook it off, turning back with raised eyebrows. "...Really?"

"O-Oi... S- ...He saved my ass alrigh'?" the blond grumbled, scowling as the other Yugi smirked from beside him. Yeah, yeah, take advantage of being 'invisible' why not...

"I don't even want to know how you got in that situation," Otogi said with a sigh, ignoring the scowl from his friend. "Mai's description of 'drowned rat' fits all too well right now..."

"Gh-" Katsuya growled, teeth grinding as he turned on the teen. "It's not that big a deal damn it! An'-"

_-screeeeeee!_

"FU-"

"Ack!"

"OW, FUCK!"

The others tumbled forward on top of each other, groaning as Mai turned back to look at the 'wreckage'. Katsuya was on top of Anzu and Yugi both, Ryuzaki stuck in a corner under Honda and Anzu... Otogi escaped by just hitting the seat, not that he was too pleased about that one.

"Sorry about that kids," she sighed, Anzu in particular giving a slightly pained smile as she waved from the near bottom of the pile. "But we are now in the middle of a construction zone," she muttered, clicking the car door open and hopping out, "Which means we're going to be walking from here..."

Thankfully the helicopter appeared to be landing in the distance, sinking toward a series of lights rather than disappearing elsewhere for them to struggle and chase. The others groaned, slowly pulling themselves off of each other as Shizuka simply unbuckled herself and hopped out. "Hnng... Construction?" Katsuya asked incredulously, hopping off the back of the car as the others slowly filed out themselves. He looked toward the building and road they'd parked outside of, before blinking. "What th'..."

Across the roped off parking lot what looked to be an immense coliseum stood, a few towers of scaffolding and machinery sitting around in the now dark night sky. A small street ran between it and other roads, the street itself blocked off completely and thus preventing those approaching from doing anything but walking in.

"Well," Honda said with a cough, staring at the light that was being released from the building in question. "If there's one thing the jerk is known for it's going big," he said with a shrug, Yugi laughing somewhat nervously.

"Actually," he admitted, "Kaiba-san didn't know about the location himself... In fact, he seemed a little put off when he found out about where it was..." So she didn't know then eh...

The others turned at that, Ryuzaki snatching his bag from the car as they began heading toward the blocked street. "Hn... Did Mokuba come up with it then?" Otogi asked, Yugi again shaking his head as they slowly began walking along the half-built walls and buildings in search of an entrance.

"Nope- while we were in the helicopter, Kaiba-san mentioned it to him... He seemed surprised," he continued, Otogi staring momentarily in surprise.

"So he didn't..."

"What the hell are you all talking about!" The others turned as Ryuzaki held his head in the annoyance of being the odd one out, only to wince as it was lightly smacked by an annoyed looking Shizuka.

"There are other ways to ask," she muttered darkly, the boy merely looking at her with a light frown while his friend crossed her arms.

"Well there are other ways to _get_ me to ask," he grumbled, Shizuka merely looking at her friend with a frown.

"You don't listen though! At all!"

"Ah- And when was the last time you tried something else anyways!" he bit back, pointing somewhat accusingly as Shizuka blinked.

"The last- What's that supposed to mean?" she growled, the others briefly looking back as the 'quiet' girl they'd met continued arguing with her friend.

Honda and Otogi traded glances as the banter continued on behind them looks of confusion evident on their faces. "This... Do you think this is why he hasn't tried to slaughter Ryuzaki yet?" Otogi whispered, Honda shrugging in response.

"I don't know," the teen said with a cough, "I..."

"It's got nothin' t' do with that," Katsuya growled from in front of the two, the both growing rather pale as they realized he'd heard every word. They both watched as their friend looked back, the ever present 'don't touch my sister' glare in place as they swallowed.

"Ehhh..."

"Ahahaha..." Yeah. That was what he thought.

The blond shook his head, looking around as they moved toward the coliseum. In all honesty he'd deal with Ryuzaki later... He just didn't trust people he used to partner with for date hunting with his younger sister.

" _So,_ " a voice muttered from the side, pulling his attention from those thoughts. " _Jonouchi..._ " Katsuya turned somewhat as the other Yugi appeared beside him, watching the spirit continue on with a slight frown. " _You said you would explain about the fight,_ " he asked, nodding somewhat. " _Back at the pier?_ "

Katsuya swallowed, briefly freezing as the others continued to walk past him. Ah... Right. That was right, he'd said that hadn't he. This...

The blond bit his lip, looking back at the ground a moment. He didn't want to lie about this, not to his best friend, but with all that was going on... He looked back at the ones ahead of him as he stood in the darkness, staring at his friends and the small spirits following them around as well. Ryuzaki's raptor... Mai's own monster being some sort of giant, golden bird with a set of four wings... And behind Yugi there was Kuriboh, the brown fuzz-ball serving as some sort of nest for the miniaturized Red-Eyes at the moment, the dragon's wings and limbs thankfully repaired. These things...

He could see them when no one else could, but...

How the hell did he explain that? That when he dueled, he was seeing something different? That all he could see were tablets in the place of cards, living monsters instead of holograms cleverly programmed to emulate those beasts. That just like how the monsters wounds were real, each attack on him dealt real damage as well, and that if Yugi wasn't careful he would end up dead when they battled? That when they finally faced each other in this tournament...

Katsuya swallowed, the other Yugi still silently waiting for his response. He...

He didn't want their fight to be like that... He didn't... "It's... It's like I said b'fore," he said with a weak smile, mentally beating himself as he made his decision. "Th' rod... When it took over," he continued rather nervously, "All I could see was that flamin' thing an' th' monsters..." And...

He wasn't technically saying that was the reason right? He was just saying he could still see them so...

So... "...You're sayin' y' don' see that kinda thing most 'f the time?" the blond asked somewhat nervously, further attempting to link it to items as he asked the question that had been nagging at the back of his mind for months.

The spirit paused as he took in the answer, before shaking his head. " _No... I can sense the spirits of my monsters as they fight_ ," he said with a light frown, " _But from the moment I was tied to your body..._ " He trailed off, shaking his head as a somewhat distant look came to his eyes. " _It was incredible,_ " the boy muttered, hovering in place to meet his friend's height. " _As though a rush of power had filled my entire being at that moment, almost like I was alive not through someone else's body, but instead..._ " He drifted off, gaining a somewhat misty look as he left the end hanging in the air. Not someone else's body but...

In... Instead..?

E-Ehhh..! Was he saying that he'd been 'alive' again! How...

That didn't make any...

"Hey!" The pair turned abruptly, looking at the others as Ryuzaki turned back to them from the back of the group. "Are you done talking to yourself?" he shouted, gaining a pointed look from Shizuka as the blond paled. Oh... Oh right! They couldn't see...

Hell, he probably should have waited until they were in some other room or...

The other Yugi smirked, shrugging as he moved to float after his partner. " _I suppose we can find out how it worked later,_ " he admitted, unaware of the relieved sigh his friend gave in response as he turned back around. Just so long as he forgot later... And he didn't have to explain.

The group passed through another 'hall' of scaffolding, turning up the parking-lot road as pale moonlight illuminated their path. All around them were scattered papers, hanging sheets, shadows playing in the light... "Hihhh..." An involuntary shudder passed through his body as he looked around, swallowing as a chilled breeze passed them by. "Thi' 's like walkin' in a ghost town," he muttered, absently rubbing his arm as Mai chuckled from in front of him.

"Really?" the woman said with a smirk, looking back at the teen. "Such a cowardly thing to say, aren't you a finalist? Just what are you going to do when you have to duel?"

"Gh- It... That doesn' have anythin' t' do with it!" the blond growled defensively, Shizuka giving a somewhat sympathetic smile as Mai and Ryuzaki both caught the look on his sister's face.

"Oh... You're... Actually serious?" Mai muttered, blinking somewhat awkwardly as she coughed. "Really! My comment stands even more now! What kind of man are you?" The kind that didn't like the undead, so drop it!

Ryuzaki nodded, shaking his head as he smirked. "Sheesh! If this scares you, I'd hate to see you against Kotsuzuka," he chuckled somewhat darkly, arms crossed as the blond coughed awkwardly.

Yeaaaaaah... About that...

Ryuzaki's smirk fell, blinking as he looked back to the blond. "Wait... You... You actually fought with..." The boy paused momentarily, soon walking at the teen's side and staring at him in incredulity. "How the hell did you get through that then?" he asked, Katsuya tensing further and further with each word. "I mean... Kotsuzuka's entire being screams-"

"Gh- I don' wanna talk about it!" he growled, grabbing his head as the memory of the 'zombie' duel came to mind, "So jus' drop it, alrigh?"

The boy shrugged, shaking himself as they walked on. "Alright, alright..." Sheesh! Now he had dead things in his head. Hihhhhh... Katsuya sighed as they approached the coliseum entrance, before pausing as a poster caught his eye. Eh...

He turned to look at the paper, blinking as the words gradually cleared in the dim light. Ah... A new Magnum movie! "Oh sweet," Ryuzaki muttered from the side, grinning as he stopped to look at the poster himself. "He's against ninjas in this one!" Masked ninjas. One was a demon, one was a... ...Blank... He supposed...

The others as well paused at the mention of 'Magnum', the first two boys quickly joined by Honda and Otogi as they looked over the poster in evident curiosity. "Wait?" Katsuya muttered, shaking himself and turning to the shorter of the group. "You watch Magnum movies?" he asked, the boy in question grinning as he adjusted his bag.

"Hah! Who the hell doesn't!" he shouted, a quick 'hear hear!' coming from the two behind them.

"So it's ninjas this time?" Honda was muttering, Otogi looking over the poster with a grin.

" _Y-ES_..." Well obviously ninjas were this guy's weak point...

Faded and somewhat sarcastic laughter came from behind the boys as Yugi stared, Anzu merely shaking her head while Shizuka moved to join the group. The girl lightly moved past Honda to look around her friend's shoulder, staring at the image curiously. "Ah..? It's not going to be like the cowboy one is it?" she asked with a quiet frown, her friend pulling a face.

"As far as I'm concerned, that one doesn't exist." he muttered the other boys nodding knowingly in response.

"Agreed," Otogi muttered, arms crossed as he shook his head. Honda as well crossed his arms, a similar expression on his face before he turned to the 'new guy' in the group. "Hnn... Maybe you aren't so bad Ryuzaki..."

The boy snorted, a smirk briefly coming over his face. "Of course not, I- WAIIIIIIIT... What was that?" he growled, turning on the two with a scowl as the others sighed.

The sound of screeching tires hit the air to cut his words short, the group looking behind them as what looked to be a stretch limo pulled to a stop on the parking-lot beside them. "Wh- I thought th' streets in here were closed?" Katsuya muttered, Mai visibly tensing at the limo's appearance as a flag on the window flapped in the breeze.

"It IS," she bit out with a grated tone, momentarily sounding similar to Seto as she clenched her fists. He-Hey what was this, she have something against limos or something? The door to the vehicle popped open with that thought, a young man in a white suit and sandy brown hair stepping out as Mai continued to growl. The man had on him a disk on one arm and a bouquet of roses in the other as he removed his sunglasses, slipping them into his pocket to face the group.

"Mai," he said with a smile, his target not even bothering to cover the look of distaste she had.

"Hello, Jean..." This...

This face... "J-Jean- Jean-Claude Magnum?" Ryuzaki hissed, the group turning on Mai with wide eyes as they quickly compared the suit wearing man to the image on the poster. "You... You know Jean-Claude Magnum?!" he shouted, receiving no answer as the others swallowed.

"Ohhhhh hell," Katsuya muttered, looking over himself with a wince. "I don' have anythin' f'r him t' sign... That would've made Mokuba's day damn it..." Though if Mokuba wanted he could probably just ask and have it in an instant...

Sometimes, he had to respect that kid's ability in self-control. Mai continued to glare from beside the group as muttered questions hie the air, Jean walking toward her with a somewhat suave look on his face while she growled. "Since when did my restraining order lose effect within Japan?" the woman asked dangerously, a few of the boys tilting their heads in shock. "I distinctly recall it stating that you were supposed to stay at least fifty meters away from me at all times." W-w-wait... The restraining order...

The order Mai got on the guy she dumped around Valentines! "Wai- THAT'S the guy?" Honda shouted, turning back to look at Jean as he paled. "That... You gave us chocolate that MAGNUM was supposed to eat?" he continued, the woman merely shrugging as her ex looked at the boys in slight surprise.

"...We _ate_ chocolate Magnum was supposed to eat," Katsuya muttered, eyes wide as he stared. Ryuzaki merely continued to stare, shaking himself as he looked at the sour expression across Mai's face.

"...Why the hell did she get a restraining order on Magnum..?"

These questions and many others were largely ignored as Jean held out the flowers to his apparent ex, bowing his head in polite apology with a cough. "My dear Mai..." With those words alone he was digging a hole Katsuya noted nervously, Mai's face growing extremely red as a look akin to Seto's more frightening ones came into place. The fact that anyone other than Seto could even emulate that expression was a shock compared to the fact that it was still souring. "I know that we got off on the wrong foot," Jean said with accented Japanese, "But-"

"But nothing," the woman said flatly, cutting the man off. "The only reason I haven't pulled out my phone and called you in is because I'll be late for the finals if I do!" Oh yeah, that was in what...

Half an hour? No way she'd get the police here on something like that in that amount of time. Or be finished with them for that matter...

Jean merely turned his head away momentarily, before looking back with a cough. "Yes well... If you could please, please give me another chance," he 'begged', the flowers rather violently ripped from his hands and tossed to the boys at the side. "Ah-!"

For a moment there was a bit of a scramble, the four near the poster attempting to snatch at whatever it was that had been ripped out of the movie star's hands. "Here boys! A souvenir from your idol; don't fight over them now," she added dryly, the flowers hurriedly dropped as Otogi realized what had been tossed his way.

"Aaaaaagghh..." The teen shook himself, kicking the bouquet away with an odd gagging noise while the others silently went through their own motions of light horror.

"That- That was worse than my cousin's wedding," Honda choked, wiping his hands on his shirt as a look of disgust came over him.

"Hell, I'm not that desperate for something he touched," Ryuzaki muttered in agreement, turning back to the arguing pair as Jean sighed.

"Please... It was one time," the man protested through his accented whine, "And I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Mai growled, shaking her head as she attempted to storm past the man. "Now if you'll excuse me," she continued with a snarl, "I have a tournament to get to!"

For a moment as Mai moved to go into the entrance Jean stood there, staring off at her back. Abruptly however he appeared to steel himself, dropping the somewhat put off look he had and swallow it back for determination. "...Duel me!" Ah-what.

Katsuya blinked, raising an eyebrow as the others looked from Jean to Mai. This was starting to sound like a corny romance. Except with a restraining order involved that probably wasn't the best thing to think of he thought with a mental cough, watching as Mai turned to face her stalker. The woman stared as Jean pulled a ring box from his pocket, a slightly desperate gleam in his eyes as he unveiled a glimmering, flawless diamond. "From the moment I met you on that ship," Jean begged, "I knew you were 'different'... Duel me, and let me prove myself again!" Uhhhh...

W-Wait...

What. "Is he proposing?" Otogi hissed, the others gaping. If... If that happened...

"D- Holy shit," Honda muttered, a grin coming over his face, "We're gonna be friends with a movie star!"

"Ahh..." There was a slightly nervous cough from the side, the others turning as Shizuka pointed toward Mai and swallowed. "I don't think that's going to quite work like that," she muttered nervously, the others catching Mai's rage-filled expression before the woman exploded.

"You... I get a restraining order, I get new locks, and I even get a DOG," she raged with clenched fists, "And you think you can offer me a ring and get a YES!" Yeah, now that he thought about it, Magnum wasn't sounding so cool after all of that...

At the same time... "Given that Magnum does his own stunts in his films," Otogi muttered with a swallow, Jean in question standing through the rant with a neutral expression in place, "I'm going to say that's exactly what he thinks..."

"Yeah but... Magnum wouldn't start throwing threats over this right?" Ryuzaki hissed, the others trading nervous looks as the boy frowned. "...Right?" ...Hopefully?

Jean continued to hold the ring for a moment, before pulling it back with a calm smile and chuckling. "You told me yourself, that the day I beat you would be the day you married me," he responded rather plainly, Mai's face momentarily falling to the familiar 'Kaiba-Calm-Before-Storm' phase. "I might not be in this tournament," the oblivious man continued with a smile, "But I'm fairly certain that you'll keep your word..."

For a moment the air was left silent, with Mai's eyes largely hidden by her hair as she shook.

However a number of them, whether from experience with friends or siblings, had a fairly good idea on what was going to happen next. Because really, now that he thought about it...

Magnum was probably dead already.

"A-Ah... M-Mai," Yugi said nervously, looking up at the woman as he coughed. "Are you al-"

"Alright Jean," the woman growled with a start, disk clicking into place with a resounding snap as the man in question stepped back. "We'll duel- and after I beat you, you can forget about any agreements and leave me ALONE!" she roared as they took positions, Jean merely giving a bow of sorts as he set his own disk into place. The disk clacked smoothly into place, a fierce wind buffeting the man somewhat as Mai leered at the man. Oooooh boy...

This would either be really amusing or really painful to watch...

"This'll only take a moment alright?" she added with a somewhat calmer tone, glancing back at the others. "We'll make it to the tournament easily."

"Indeed they will!" the man shouted from across the field, drawing his hand of cards as the duel started off. "And soon enough, while you enjoy your last tournament," the man continued with a smile, "I will be planning the perfect wedding..." Jean continued to beam at that, Mai's fist clenching tightly as she drew her own hand. Either he was really oblivious to what was going on or he had one huge death wish... "California has a number of places, but you would probably prefer something Japanese, am I right?" Ehhhh...

He should probably stop talking, right now!

Jean merely chuckled as his ex continued to shake across from him in rage, taking a card from his hand with a smirk. "I'll go first," he decided, setting the card on the field as a somewhat black tablet arose in response. "Summoning Ninja Commander Ikusa!" Black smoke swirled about the stone as a samurai-esque figure stepped forward, drawing a blade with a curt and silent nod. "Next, using his special effect," the man went on, green armored ninja leaping from in front of the tablet to slam his hands upon the top of the structure, "I summon Ninja Soldier 'Katana'! Both in attack mode!" he shouted, the second ninja arriving to the field from a burst smoke. Eh...

It didn't have a tablet? The second ninja, appearing quite stereotypical in terms of skin-tight black garb, drew his two blades, spinning them across his hands. More importantly though, looking back at the movie poster...

"Wow," Ryuzaki said with a cough, shaking his head as Mai quite calmly summoned 'Amazon Swordswoman' to destroy the weak monster in a cloud of smoke, "Not only was that really predictable but..."

"I don't even duel and I can tell he's an amateur," Honda groaned, most of the others shaking their heads.

The Amazoness appeared to agree quite completely, leaning on her blade with a yawn. " _Hahhh... And here I thought my new job would be hell..._ " Wait for it... Wait for it... " _I can't believe I quit for this..._ " Exactly! ...Wait. Wh-...

Wait what? Duel monsters had jobs, what?

Katsuya shook himself as it again came to Jean's turn, a second tablet appearing to the man's side as he made his move. "Hnnn... A sharp blow," he commented, a second 'samurai' stepping forth from the smoking stone before smacking the rock to activate his effect, "I'll be summoning another Ninja Commander and Soldier!" he announced, the second ninja leaping to the field as a trail of dust and smoke rose through the air. "And I'll again end my turn!" S... Seriously? Just... Attack mode ninjas? The guy was already eleven hundred points down, how the hell...

"Wow," Shizuka said with a somewhat incredulous stare, the expression mirrored by the Amazoness as her summoner ordered her attack. "When Mai-san said 'this will be quick'..."

There was a wave of dust as another tablet was cut in two by the Amazoness' massive sword, the girl shaking her head as Jean was left with a 'Katana' and a 'Commander' on the field. "She really wasn't ki-"

"Hnhnhn..." The opponent's laughter cut her short, Katsuya watching as Jean drew his card and made his next move. "My turn again!" the man announced, the others frowning as his grin persisted. Either he was way more oblivious than he figured or...

Another tablet arose from the field, the Ninja soldier vanishing into a cloud of dust as the somewhat larger structure began to form. Yep. It was all 'as planned'...

Damn it. "Now that I have two ninjas in the graveyard, I can put my strategy into motion," Jean said with a grin, switching a few cards on the disk before grabbing more. "First, I sacrifice the Ninja soldier to summon 'Ninja Master Shogun'!" he shouted, the monster in question arising from the stone with a mask near identical to that of the one in the poster behind them. "And using his effect," the man continued, words accompanied by numerous hand-seals on the part of his summoned monster, "I special summon two more ninjas from my deck... Moreover," he shouted, the cards ejected and set into place as tablets swarmed the field and arose in a domino formation, "One of those ninjas allows me to special summon another ninja!"

Another-

The 'audience' gaped as the remaining ninja piled onto the field, another solider appearing before he was followed by a white masked woman and man. "So then... First, the Shogun attacks your swordswoman," Jean ordered, the demonic-masked monster running the woman through with his spear as the Amazoness choked and collapsed, "And then... Kabuki, Katana, and the Kunoichi Ayame attack directly!" he called out, the trio charging forward with a wide array of weapons as Mai doubled over from the force of what Katsuya couldn't see.

"Ghnn..!" Mai gripped her stomach briefly, her Amazoness in the meantime fading into dust with her tablet as she held her own bleeding wound. "You prick..."

" _Ghk- Probably should have expected that..._ " Yeah...

They should have too, so it wasn't her fault really...

Jean merely shook his head, crossing his arms and sighing as the woman leered at him from across the field. "I didn't want it to be like this," he said in excuse, biting his lip. "I don't want to hurt you after all, but love is a violent game at heart..." ...What the hell did that even mean...

"Ugh..." His opponent shook her head, teeth grinding as she straightened herself out and continued to glare. "Save it for your next film," Mai spat, rubbing her stomach with a swallow. Sheesh. He knew Mai would probably turn this around easily but... Man, if this guy landed another hit like that she'd be stuck in engagement!

...And they'd be stuck hearing about it! "Hnn... Well," the man decided with a shrug, "Before I end my turn, I'll set a card face down..." As the blank tablet appeared to his side he continued to smirk, eyes shining darkly in the dull moonlight. "With luck," he said with a 'sigh', "It'll only hurt a little more..." A fair number of the audience had to roll their eyes at that, particularly as the woman in question summoned her next monster.

The tablet arose tall and strong at her side, a sleek, mature-looking version of her signature monster carving itself into place on the cover. "Tch- I summon the Harpie Queen in attack mode!" she shouted, pointing the white-winged woman forward as the 'queen' burst forth from the stone. The monster spun high into the air, long hair trailing with a beauty that far surpassed its 'younger' brethren. "Attack the Ninja Master!" Mai ordered, an ear-splitting screech piercing the air as the Queen did as ordered. Another shout however cut the attack short, Jean's voice faded somewhat in the momentary 'deafness' the Queen's shriek had left the blond.

_'Activate trap,_ ' he dimly heard the man roar, blank tablet grinding into dust and filling the field as his ninja tossed a bomb of sorts to the ground. ' _Ninja smoke ball_!' The monster ducked as the Queen attempted to tear at his throat, smoke filling the air and clogging the harpie's lungs before it was forced to retreat with a snarl. " _Gh! My feathers_ ," the monster growled, perching on her tablet and looking at her now ashen wings. " _How DISGUSTING! What is the MEANING of this!_ " Geeze, the bird was as much a drama queen as the others...

"Tch..." Mai narrowed her eyes as her Harpie continued to grumble, nonetheless steeling herself as she took a card from her hand. "I'll play a card face down and end my turn," she muttered, crossing her arms somewhat bitterly. Hnnn...

Jean's grin was still 'shining' from across the field, the man drawing his card only to immediately set it on the disk with a chuckle. "My turn then," he announced as the tablet appeared on the field, only to crumble into dust behind his most powerful monster. "First, the spell card 'Great Kite of Ninja'!" Jean called out, the Ninja Master pulling yet another device from its armor before taking to the skies on the great and clearly visible kite. "And now, while he's out of reach and safe from all attacks..." Oh so that was what it did. All he'd figured was that it pulled him up in the air, that was... "I'll make use of his other effect! By sacrificing a monster!" Jean explained as the crowd stiffened, "The Ninja Master can attack directly... It'll all be over soon," he continued with a 'soothing' sigh, tapping the disk as his Ninja Soldier erupted into smoke from the field. "Ninja Master attacks directly!"

"G- Hn!" The ninja tore forward, Mai flinching as the blade passed through her before the monster and kite both returned to the skies. The Harpie Queen looked back at her summoner briefly before scowling, both women snarling at the ninja and its summoner as they grew red. "Rgggh..."

" _Of all the underhanded, cowardly stunts..!_ " Hey... They were ninjas, what did she expect? Either way this was a pain he told himself, frowning as the others stared at the kite above.

"Is it possible to turn this around soon enough?" Anzu muttered from the side, shaking her head as Yugi frowned.

"Well," he began as he crossed his arms in thought, "If she had 'Harpies Feather Duster' in her hand..." Hey, that sounded good!

"Oi Mai," Katsuya shouted from the side, "You got a 'Feather Duster'?"

"If I DID, I would have PLAYED IT!" she roared, the crowd tensing slightly as the woman growled. H-Hey hey, honest question! Not his fault he didn't get flashes when he wanted! "Besides... I don't need that card to win," the woman continued, narrowing her eyes as she turned her anger to the field. "I already have an idea... First, the spell Kaleidoscope!" Mai announced, an eerie light shining beneath her Harpie to fan out into two extra duplicates of the bird-like beast. The Queen's duplicates stared at their original, blinking a few times before the first snorted.

_'Please_ ,' she muttered under her breath, ' _We all know who the 'real' Queen is..._ ' Not that they looked pleased about that comment as their summoned pulled their attention.

"Now," Mai ordered, "Attack all three of the ninjas!"

The Queens quickly nodded in response, taking to the sky as the first pointed her claws forward. " _Eagle's formation_ ," she ordered swiftly, razor sharp teeth bared as the other Harpies flanked her side. " _GO!_ "

" _KEEEEEERRR_!" In a flash of steel claws the birds each struck, throats slashed as blood spurted to the field and over the Harpies' talons and faces. The ninjas stood little chance as they were deafened by the monster's cries, weapons clattering to the ground before they dissolved into dust with their tablets.

Briefly Katsuya tensed, a droplet of blood splashing across his face as the birds flew back, the urge to wipe it off only barely suppressed by the fact that the other Yugi currently stood beside him. The blond quickly opted for pushing the slight unease back with a cheer, cupping his hands as the Harpies returned to their single tablet. "HAH! Alrigh'! Let's wrap this up Mai!"

The woman smirked, a thumbs up coming from her side of the field as Jean grit his teeth. "Hn! The audience should know to keep quiet," he said with a frown, the 'audience' in question rolling their eyes. "Particularly in the matters of adults..."

Katsuya merely snorted, crossing his arms. Really, what was that second comment even supposed to mean? "Heh! Like we care what you think!" he shouted, most of the others nodding in agreement as they sent their own muttered insults forward.

"That's right," Ryuzaki muttered with a smirk, "You can go to hell for all I care!" Shizuka frowned at this, turning to the boy with raised eyebrows as her friend turned back.

"Didn't you just say how much of a fan you were five minutes ago?" she asked, the boy merely shrugging the question off.

"That was five minutes ago," he insisted, Honda as well nodding.

"Yeah," the teen added knowingly, "Things can change in five minutes."

"Like what, the wind?" Otogi muttered in response, the conversation cutting short as Mai ended her turn from across them. While they'd been arguing and talking a face down card had apparently been set, a blank tablet sitting at the woman's side where the Harpies were perched in wait. This would be the last turn Katsuya thought in the back of his mind, finding himself more than used to 'just knowing' things by this point. The wind appeared to pick up somewhat in response to that unspoken knowledge, Jean taking his next turn as he drew a card. The last move...

"I play Kunoichi Ayumi the Ninja Girl in attack mode," the man announced, a single tablet arising beside his missing monster's own. The familiar white masked woman stepped out from the stone, arms crossed as she awaited the inevitable in silence. "I then sacrific-"

"Activate trap!" Mai shouted, cutting the man off as Ayumi jumped. Jean tensed as his opponent tapped her duel disk, the blank tablet to her side abruptly melting into the ground for the dust to travel across the field. "Grave arm!" An arm tore free from the earth at Ayumi's feet, the masked woman jumping and struggling as it pulled her beneath the ground. Soil and brick were tossed and pushed to the side as the ninja's mask hid her fear, blocking her screams as her hands clawed at the ground before vanishing. The woman's tablet fell to a pile of dust, filling the hole in as Katsuya swallowed from the side and attempted to hide his own nausea at the sight. Mai's actions were far from done with that spell however, Jean's turn automatically forfeit with the absence of spells or traps to play from his hand. "And now that it's my turn again... Well. Seeing how your field is now clear, and you were ready for attack?" the woman drawled in clear annoyance, "How about I do the same as last time..." Jean paled at those words, the Queens rising to the air with the mention of a fight. "Harpie Queens," she shouted, the monsters leering at their opponent as they awaited the command. "Attack directly!"

" _SCREEEEEEE_!"

" _AMPHIPTERE FORMATION!_ " the first Queen roared, the first to charge forward in the resounding screech. In a swift and elegant line the birds struck, diving forward and through the man as they wiped out his life points. One, two, three they tore through, and with each one's exit they disappeared into a fine dust, the tablets already cleared from the field as the end of the duel came around. But wait...

Why was that kite still..?

"Hn..! So I've lost," Jean said with a sigh, his duel disk folding back up as Katsuya looked back down at the field. "Well... The game hasn't ended yet my dear..." Mai frowned at that, the car door to the side opening as her ex returned to the limo. "I'll see you soon," he added with a smirk, glancing at the sky as he tapped his collar. "Very soon, I'm sure..." Hang on...

That-! The car tore off in the night with a loud and ear-splitting screech, Katsuya hurriedly looking to the sky again as the kite shimmered in the moonlight. Different...

It was a different kite, a different colour and above it! "Mai," he shouted, the woman turning and jumping with a start as the blond shouted out to her. "Look out!"

"Heh-!" A net was tossed from the side of the kite, the sound of a helicopter meeting the air as Mai was quickly entangled pulled away. "What the he- JEA _AAAAAN_!" she roared, pulling at the net as she looked to where the car vanished. The others swallowed as the net rose further into the air, frozen briefly as the captured woman raged at her fairly obsessed ex.

"This guy really wants to get laid," Ryuzaki muttered dryly, ducking a swipe from Shizuka as they ran after the net. "Gh- It's true!" The comment was left unanswered as Katsuya ran forward, cupping his hands as he kept the net in sight.

"Mai! We're comin' alrigh'!" he shouted, the woman glancing down from where she was fiddling with the strings. For someone who was stuck in a net, she was oddly...

"Take your time kids! I'm not going anywhere!" Hahaha, that was so... So funny, really... And hang on-!

The group skid to a halt as Mai began filing through the thin netting with the edge of her duel disk, Katsuya blinking as the action began to work in the woman's favor. One thread snapped... Two...

Three- "H-yaaah!" A panicked shout hit the air as the woman dropped to the scaffolding below, only to slip and fall to a nearby street lamp as the others moved to stand by it. E-Ehh? That actually worked! Mai groaned as she gripped the lamp pole, legs swinging somewhat as she shook her head. "Ooooh... That could have gone much, much better," she said through a wince, the others looking up with swallows.

"Ahhh... Shit," Katsuya muttered, staring up at the woman and scratching his head. "How the hell are we..."

Honda quickly pulled Otogi over near the post, holding his hands out. "Chair," he said with a steady look. "Make a chair, we'll catch her."

"A chair?" the teen hissed, looking back up as Mai pulled herself up to sit on the pole. He appeared to go over his options in his mind as he stared at the woman above, before nodding. "Right! Right... Hey! Mai!" he shouted, linking hands with his friend to form a square-ish 'chair' of sorts as they stood beneath the lamp light. "Jump! We'll catch you alright?"

The woman looked down, blinking somewhat blankly as the others stared. "You sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the pole. "I could just slide down..."

"Slide-" The two looked at each other, before staring back at the short skirt with somewhat spaced out expressions in place as they went red. "Slide down... Ahh..."

Evidently they weren't very good at hiding the looks on their faces with that thought either, as the next thing they knew Mai had jumped, with the two teens collapsing to their knees as the woman landed squarely on their arms and walked away. "I decided it was faster to jump," she said somewhat dryly, looking back as the two began rubbing their arms. The boys both groaned from where they'd fallen, the woman walking back toward them with a smile. "Need a hand?" she continued with a softer tone, moving to help the two up.

"S-Sure," Otogi muttered, rubbing his shoulder as he was pulled up. The teen stumbled to his feet, rotating the limb with a wince as he moved. "Sfff... I think I pulled my shoulder..."

"Your shoulder," Honda muttered in response, shaking himself as he was helped up as well. "My entire arm is stinging!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Mai growled, those watching coughing somewhat awkwardly as the other two turned to answer.

"Ahhh... That it... Hurt?" Otogi attempted in defense, only to be elbowed by his friend. "Gh- What the hell," he hissed, gaining a look from the teen in response.

"...Nhn... 'And'?" the woman before them continued, eyebrows raised.

A small bit of silence filled the air at that, before Honda hurriedly began spouting his own excuse. "...It has nothing to do with-"

The taller of the teens were elbowed this time, Otogi hissing under his breath as his friend winced. "Moron! If you say anything regarding that kind of thing we'll all die!"

Honda went quite pale at that, coughing before hurriedly running back toward the coliseum entrance. "Aaaaand hey," he said with a laugh, Mai rolling her eyes in slight annoyance, "We should get moving so you're not late for the finals! Ahahaha... Ahhh..." Well, he had a point with that one...

"Heh... Good plan!" Katsuya shouted, moving toward the entrance himself as the others followed behind with nods.

"Right," Yugi was saying with a grin. "Lets go!"

"Wait... How is there going to be room for all of us if it's 'finalists only'," Ryuzaki asked with a frown, pulling a face at the thought. "I mean, what, are we going to end up sharing or..."

"Hah! What... Dipping out already?" Otogi asked with a smirk, the boy sputtering in response before gaining an aggravated scowl.

"Tch- Hell no! I wouldn't miss this for anything!" he shouted, a few of the others shaking their heads in amusement. Shizuka as well was laughing at the response, shaking her head as she looked to her friend.

"That's the spirit," she said with a smile, "We'll be fine... I'm sure they'll think of something," she continued, turning as Katsuya nodded.

"'F course!" Even if the fact was that they would probably all be sharing rooms like Ryuzaki had said.

"I just hope it looks better than this place," Ryuzaki muttered dryly, looking around at the unfinished coliseum stands around them. "This is a wreck..."

"Hah! It's called being 'unfashionably early," Mai said with a chuckle, the boy's expression simply slipping further into a deadpan in response. "Now... Let's see what 'hidden location' Kaiba could be hiding from us here," she decided with a wink, moving through the hall as she adjusted the disk on her wrist. There were nods all around in response to that, nearly blinding lights coming from the inside of the stadium. From what they could tell as they got in it was just a stadium under construction, as expected but...

"Jonouchi!" The blond turned, jumping as Isono appeared to the side of the arena with a short wave.

"Ah- I Isono..!"

"You know this guy?" Honda asked, the blond nodding as Isono walked toward them in greeting. "Yeah, he works f'r S- F'r Kaiba," he corrected, the man in question holding a largely professional appearance as he stood before the crowd.

Isono bowed somewhat, a smile on his face as he looked over the group. "I see your friends have come to see you off," the man began calmly, bowing his head to the others before him, "Assuming you are indeed here for the finals," he added, watching as the blond as well as Yugi and Mai pulled out their six cards to hold out in response.

"Ahhh..." Isono reached forward, taking the cards and stowing them in his suit jacket. "Congratulations to all of you then! Here," he continued, pulling out three 'key cards' while he was at it. "This one here is yours Jonouchi," the man stated, Katsuya blinking as he looked over the '2' on his card. "And this is yours," he went on, handing the next, '7' to Yugi before handing the last one to Mai. Number '5', the blond noted idly. But wait...

"We get sp'cific cards?" he asked with raised eyebrows, Isono smirking as Yugi also stared at the man.

"Well..."

"I had a feeling you wouldn't take my advice and 'stay put'," Seto growled, the group jumping as the woman walked over. Though her clothes were still rather wet she'd quite clearly gotten over the shock earlier on. Her disk had been replaced firmly on her arm, with Mokuba running behind the semi-dry woman with a grin. "So I took 'precautions'..." Precautions? What the hell did that have to do with his and Yugi's rooms being picked out?

...Moreover, why was she admitting that out loud, normally there'd be an insult, or...

The others blinked as the siblings continued to approach, Mokuba looking over Katsuya and Yugi with slight worry as he moved toward them. "Hey, you two are alright... Right?" he asked, the boys both nodding and smiling. "Of course," Katsuya said with a grin, ignoring the numb pain his cracked rib was still giving him. "Better than ever!"

"We're fine," Yugi continued. He looked around the stadium with a frown however, turning back to Mokuba in confusion. "But where exactly is the tournament taking place?"

A shadow passed over the ground with those words, the group hurriedly looking up and gaping as the source was slowly made visible in the light of the stadium. Barely able to fit within the already enormous structure, an airship began lowering to the ground, the plane-like machine at the bottom bringing 'feet' to the earth. "Hn!" Seto smirked, arms crossed as the group continued to stare almost incredulously at the device. "Does that answer your question?" she asked, the airship's turbines lowering their wheezing roar to a whisper as still more spotlights turned on around them.

"A... A blimp?" Katsuya muttered under his breath, swallowing as the enormous device appeared to 'glow' from the inside, shadows moving about inside. H-Holy shit...

Isono chuckled at the reactions, before taking a more professional guise and stepping back beside the door. "Technically an airship," he muttered with a smirk, "But nonetheless correct! This is the 'Battle Ship'," the man said clearly, raising his voice to reach the crowd around him, "And it is here the semi-final rounds will be taking place!" ...In a bli- An airship? ...SWEET. "Competitors will battle atop an arena over a thousand meters from the ground," Isono continued to announce, a majority of those listening already looking quite eager to follow on, "And at exactly eight o'clock'," he continued, a few of the teens pulling out their phones for the time, "Competitors will be allowed to board the ship... Five minutes afterwards, the ship will lift off for the skies, with further briefing in the dining hall. Now then..." The man trailed off, looking toward the entrance and adjusting his sunglasses. "We have four finalists so far," he stated plainly, "So..."

"Only four?" Mokuba asked with raised eyebrows, looking back at Isono with a frown. "But it's only five minutes before eight! Who would have to wait until now to get here?" Ignoring the fact that they'd only just arrived of course...

That was a good question. One that he somehow knew was about to be answered. Sudden chuckling came from the side with that very thought in fact, the group turning as a 'shadow' moved forward from the coliseum's covered entrance. "Hnhnhnhn... Well, I suppose I would," a somewhat drawling voice stated, Katsuya's blood draining from his face as he recognized the tone. White hair, white skin... And why did the politeness have to be dropped?

"B-Bakura..!" The albino's arm was still bandaged tightly, blood no longer seeping from the wound much to their relief. However as the blond stared he also had to frown- there was no sign of the ring beneath the teen's shirt, and if the cord was any sign it was actually in his hands at the moment. Of course, given that only himself and Anzu knew about the incident involving the injury, that wasn't what everyone else was looking at.

Yugi for one was staring in silent shock, eyes wide as his friends gaped. "Bakura-kun..!" The boy's eyes honed in on the duel-disk he had, the white bandage momentarily unnoticed thanks to the matching shade of Bakura's skin and shirt. "I... I didn't even know you dueled," he continued, watching as the albino calmly switched his six locator cards for a key pass from Isono. (Number 3 it looked like...) There was no answer, Yugi continuing on with still wide eyes. "Moreover... When did you even participate in the preliminaries?" he asked, "You told me you were going to be busy today..."

"Not to mention," Anzu muttered with a slight frown, "Wasn't that duel disk stolen?" Katsuya held his tongue in regards to that comment, Bakura merely smiling somewhat as he held the disk up.

"Well... Actually, this one's mine," he said with a small laugh, pocketing the key card as he turned to the others. "I was released from the hospital shortly after they patched my arm up... And I'm technically eligible for the tournament due to a previous one I participated in online," the teen admitted with a slight nervous shrug, "So since my disk came with a card, I decided to join in..." He...

He didn't know whether to believe that or not damn it! Hell... The ring wasn't visible he told himself, shaking his head, but who knew what happened in the ambulance...

"Th' that's... Tha's great," he said nervously, attempting to laugh off the bad feeling before coughing. The bandages were... Er..."Isn' yer arm is still..."

"It's perfectly fine," Bakura insisted, bringing his arm back down before a slightly darker look of amusement came in his eyes. "Go ahead, touch it, see?" He continued to smile as the blond hurriedly shook his head in response, an even odder look coming to his eyes. "Besides... As a duelist," the albino added in a slightly darker than normal tone, "I really want to fight you Jonouchi-kun..."

Ryuzaki merely tilted his head from the side as the others stared, shaking his head. "How the hell did he get the cards that fast if he was in the hospital," he muttered under his breath, voice scarcely audible to those around.

His friend shrugged, shaking her head as she turned to whisper an answer. "I don't know," Shizuka admitted, biting her lip. "Nihan's friends are a little weird really, so..."

Hey hey, they weren't weird! ...Much.

He supposed. Yugi's hair kinda killed their cover no offense to the guy...

Footsteps came over the air as the mutterings over Bakura's well being came to a halt, the others hurriedly turning to follow Seto's stare as a figure came through the darkness. The teen walking forward carried with him a small bag, wearing nearly black cargo pants and bringing with him a tiny flaming spirit on his shoulder, the tiny sprite staring forward with a single golden eye...

This...

"N-Namu!" Anzu shouted with apparent surprise, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as a sudden burst of heat appeared to come over the area.

The foreigner walked forward, a small smile on his face as he bowed to the group. "We meet again," he said in slightly broken Japanese, "Mazaki-san, Jonouchi-san..." That just sounded wrong with his name damn it...

"Oh... Anzu is fine," the woman said with a slight laugh, shaking her head as the others responded to the appearance in silence. "And there's really no need for honorifics," she continued kindly, Yugi and the 'other' Yugi both turning to Katsuya as the blond continued to frown.

"Jonouchi-kun?" the lighter one asked, "Do you know this guy..?"

He nodded somewhat stiffly, eyes narrowing further as the sprite appeared to eye Anzu with an almost mesmerizing stare. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, listening as the others began speaking to 'Namu' about the tournament. Seto of course stayed far at the sides, and for the moment Ryuzaki was holding back on the interaction himself, talking to Shizuka about something. Hnn... "This guy," the blond continued to whisper, eyes narrowing further. "He's..."

Not someone they should be talking to. "Ah! Yugi... Let me introduce you to the boy we met earlier," Anzu was saying, pulling Yugi off to talk as her friend sputtered somewhat. His other frowned, narrowing his eyes as he picked up on the unease of both his friend and partner, Anzu's words carrying with them a subtle and almost invisible tone of fallacy with them. "This is Namu," she stated with a smile, 'Namu' bowing somewhat as she continued. "He's our friend... Right, Jonouchi?" The woman turned to the blond at that, Katsuya merely nodding hesitantly to get the topic over with as the other Yugi continued to frown.

" _Something seems off,_ " the spirit growled, arms crossed. " _He seems fine but... There's something else there..._ "

"Yeah, tell me about it," Katsuya muttered under his breath, watching as Namu held out a hand to shake Yugi's own. "Thinkin' back," the blond continued stiffly, "When Anzu an' I were taken..." Just what did happen there? He hadn't seen anything. Sure, Namu had nothing to do with Yugi and had quite likely been left for that reason but...

How...

"...Oiii... Namu?" he asked, watching as the spirit on his shoulder abruptly shied away with a high-pitched 'kriii!'. ...Weird, he'd never scared a spirit before... The blond quickly shook himself from the thoughts on that matter, instead focusing on the spirit's 'owner'. "Back in th' alley," he said with narrowed eyes, "How did..?"

The teen blinked, frowning somewhat as he studied his 'friend's face. "Ah, that... Well," the blond foreigner muttered somewhat plainly, "Truth be told, I'm not actually sure... I remember calling the police after watching those cloaked men pull you away, but I guess they left me alone when they saw I was outside the alley already..." That...

That was a piss-poor excuse but he nodded anyways, tensing as an odd 'wind' hit the air. It wasn't the usual 'gale' that he felt though, the wind that came about when an Item was doing something, like when the two Yugi's switched out, or even rarer, Bakura. More like a fan had been turned on, forcing the wind their way...

"Yugi," Bakura abruptly shouted, the others turning as he held out the Millennium Ring. Okay... So it wasn't around his neck, and he really had seen it in his hands but... "Yugi, look," he continued, the boy in question looking over the ring curiously. "It's responding to something..." No.

No it wasn't, the pointer was up, but the glow wasn't...

"Uh... How is it doing that?" Ryuzaki asked from the side, shaking his head as Mokuba laughed somewhat.

"Ehhh... It... It's just a trick," he laughed, the others closing their mouths rather than digging the younger of the Kaibas into a hole. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing..."

Ryuzaki frowned at that, looking decidedly confused as Shizuka as well stared. For a moment he appeared to be about to say something... But in the end he was nonetheless holding his tongue as more footsteps sounded through the area, pounding the ground as the forced gale further stormed through the coliseum. The needle of the ring...

It was pointing at... "That guy..." Heavily robed the 'source' appeared, Bakura's ring abruptly dropping its pointers as he moved past the group.

" _Could it be Malik?_ " the other Yugi muttered, Katsuya still frowning as the cloaked and imposing man walked forward. Without batting an eye at those around him he walked up to Isono, holding out six cards.

"Here," he said with a plain, grave tone, voice thick and hoarse. "Six locator cards, as required for admission into the finals."

From the side the others were staring, Seto holding a steady and suspicious glare as she looked at the man. It was very strange to see someone who was taller than the woman, even if only by a few inches. Despite this however, the level of tense and steady strength was still undeterminable between the two, even without the constant glare. "Are you 'Malik'?" Seto asked him, the man turning as he received his key card. Briefly the man narrowed his eyes, hieroglyphs clearly visible across the side of his face.

"...Seto Kaiba," he answered, looking over the woman and turning back to the air ship as the door opened behind them to mark the eighth hour of the evening. "And Yugi Mutou," he added, the boy in question tensing under the imposing man's stare. "You who own the 'God Cards' Osiris and Obelisk- realize that they will soon be within my grasp," he said plainly, Isono narrowing his eyes in response before gesturing to the door.

"...It is now Eight o'clock," he said plainly, stiffened expression hidden beneath his sunglasses. "Though we will not leave for another fifteen minutes without the eighth finalist," he continued on with a slight cough, "The competitors may now enter the airship so as to settle themselves in their rooms; each room is numbered, a label that will match with the key card you have been given. Now..."

He stepped back, watching as the tall cloaked man, 'Malik' according to their answers, briskly walked into the ship without another word. Briefly Isono appeared put off by the action. However there had been a reason he was hired as one of Seto's assistants, and he quickly got over himself before continuing.

"...Right. Well... If the competitors could please step inside," he requested politely, the others more or less smiling as they moved forward. "

Ahhhh... A battle in the sky!" Mai cheered, running forward as 'Namu' and Bakura followed close behind. The woman looked back just briefly as the 'newer' participants disappeared inside, a wide grin on her face. "This will be wonderful! Just the thing for a championship... You know how to plan a tournament," she added with a wink, Seto showing no clear reaction to the comment as Mai vanished inside.

"It does sound pretty exciting," Yugi said in agreement, running up the steps himself as his other stared at the enormous ship. "What do you think, other me?"

The other appeared to not be listening at the moment, instead continuing to stare at the airship with a distant expression. " _I wonder,_ " he muttered with a swallow, Yugi briefly turning to pull him in by the arm as he sighed, " _If I could float around this thing while we were in the air..._ "

"Please don't try it," Katsuya heard Yugi mutter in response, grinning as he turned to Isono from the stairs.

"Oii... Isono?" he asked, Mokuba running up the steps behind him in the meantime, "We allowed to bring everyone else on?"

The man blinked. "Everyone else?" he questioned, looking back at the 'else' as they stared.

"Yeah," the blond said, "Anzu, Honda, Otogi, Shizuka-" Everyone else!

Isono coughed, going somewhat pale as he stared at the group. "You- That's almost double the number of the competitors, I can't-"

"Just pretend you didn't see anything," Seto muttered as she walked past, "And they'll share rooms."

"Ahh..." Isono stared briefly as Seto vanished inside, watching as Katsuya grinned and waved for the others to follow before running in. "W-Wait, is this really..."

"Thank-you for your kindness!" Shizuka hurriedly said as she followed the group in, bowing politely before rushing into the ship.

"We can't thank you enough," Anzu added, herself and the rest of the boys rushing up the stairs as the man continued to choke.

"A-Ahhh..." How would they all share rooms! Isono sighed, shaking his head as he turned away from the ship. Ultimately, there was no sense in arguing with Seto's decision. "Alright then..." The man turned back to the darkened stadium, checking his watch with a frown as the time ticked away. He'd momentarily been distracted by 'Malik's appearance; the door had opened a few minutes late. "Hn... Lift off in one minute," he muttered, turning toward the stairs with a sigh. "And in the end," the man continued, "The eighth finalist still isn't here..." Seto wouldn't be too-

_tpf. tpf. tpf..._

"Hn..?" The man turned, squinting through his sunglasses as a woman in white walked out from the entrance. She was completely silent, a thick shawl of sorts with gold decoration covering her head, a veil across the bottom half of her face. All he could see was her eyes, calm and almost aged in appearance, along with the duel disk on her bare arm...

And the six cards she was holding toward him.

She was silent as she did this, merely watching as the man stared at her before hurriedly taking the cards. "I see..." So the eighth competitor had made it after all! Well, that was pushing it close... He pulled the last of the key cards from his pocket, handing it forward with a curt nod. "This is your bedroom key... You will be in room number eight, understand?" he explained, the woman nodding as she took the card walked into the ship.

Within seconds the woman had vanished for the room's hallway, a slight 'beep' coming from Isono's watch as the time ran out. The man tapped the radio in his ear, stepping into the ship himself as he spoke.

"The competitors are all accounted for," he said briskly, pulling the door in as it folded and locked tightly behind him. "Begin take off!"

And with the roaring of a series of turbines and engines, the 'Battle Ship' did just that.


	20. Keeping Secrets Sucks

When she stepped onto the airship she was greeted with her rival standing by the window with Mokuba watching and waiting for the ship take off from beside him. The door beside and beneath the stairs was still opened, and as she made her way upward she could hear footsteps behind her, sounding almost similar to a stampede. Perhaps she would regret allowing all of the additional people on board, but for the moment she didn't care. The evening wind had already begun to chill her thanks to the sopping state her clothes were in, and she needed to fix that.

"I'll be in my room," she whispered to her brother, the boy briefly turning to nod before staring back out of the window. "I'll see you at dinner.”

"Alright nii-sama," the boy responded, keeping relatively cautious about the names with the approaching group. He quickly turned back to look through the window, his excitement either mirrored or surpassed by the one beside him. By the time the stairway was filled with similar reactions completely however his sister had long since stepped into the upper hallway above, door closing behind her as she pulled out her key card. Hah...

Room '1', directly beside Mokuba's own she told herself, walking toward the cold, sturdy built steel door. With walls and doors like this, no sound would escape at all.

Something she was personally glad for. The card in her hands was slipped through the reader at the side with a smooth click, the woman stepping in before shutting the sliding door behind her with the push of a button. The room was exactly as designed... Simple, small, with a door on the side connecting to the on-board computers she'd personally installed for the purpose of finding 'Ra'. To use them however, would be something to do later. For now...

The woman hung her coat up on the side, running a hand through her hair. For now she was wet. She was still very, very wet she noted with a grimace, moving toward the washroom to take a seat as she pulled her boots off. Lucky her, the woman grumbled mentally as the first one came off with a 'pop', she had leather boots on... Acting like a nice, giant pair of suction cups for her feet. Seto scowled as any trapped water was dumped into the sink from the boot, shaking her head before doing the same with another one. Well...

This was wonderful, now wasn't it. She'd planned for clothing issues given the amount of time she'd be spending on the ship, but not shoes damn it. "Tch..." And now she had to wait for them to dry...

Something that wouldn't happen for a number of hours, which meant that she would be stuck with cold feet for the rest of the evening and possibly the next day. She put the shoes on the floor near the heater, shaking her head and moving further into her room while pulling her arm bracers and belts from her arms. Whatever she told herself, placing the devices on a side table as she pulled her shirt off. She needed to get out of the wet clothes before the tournament started, not to mention dry the rest of herself off. The woman grabbed the phone as she pulled at the binding around her chest, a neat pile forming at the side when the clothes dropped to the ground as she waited for one of the staff to answer. Three...

Two...

" _Seto-sama?_ " a voice on the other end asked, the ID on the other end having clearly told them who was calling. " _Is there anything you need?_ "

"I want you to send Kyouko to room seven," the woman explained, moving to the small dresser at the side where her spare clothes were. Socks were added to the pile as she went, moving onto the belts around her shins as she placed them to the side. "Tell her to bring Yugi to the examination room and have Doctor Syn look over him," she continued on, a slight pause on the other end as whoever was speaking likely nodded.

" _Right away,_ " they responded, the phone clicking off as Seto replaced it on the cradle. Alright...

Now then. The last of the wet clothes were added to the pile a few moments later, Seto shivering just slightly from the now exposed dampness on her skin. Hihhhh... If she'd ever considered taking up swimming for exercise before... Well she'd take the VR treadmill any day she decided, clean and dry clothes in her hands as she frowned at the thought. Anything over swimming actually...

The woman glanced at the clock to the side, quickly pulling her clothes on as she shook herself off. Pants, binding, shirt... She'd have to shower later she told herself, so she would just have to deal with the 'ocean smell' for now. She could probably do that between the first two duels she decided as an after thought, clasping the belts and bracers back on her arms and legs before collapsing in a chair. For now however she needed to think. She needed to clear her head, calm down... She needed...

Something. Seto rubbed her head, shaking herself and sighing as she moved to grab her duel monsters deck from her coat. Cards... That was as good a start to calming herself down as anything. She should be making sure her deck was ready for the tournament anyways, as for all she knew she would be fighting first. And if she were to be facing off against Yugi...

Hn! Well, it wouldn't do to face him with a half-prepared deck now would it. The woman slowly began flipping the cards from the deck, images shining from the card faces as she went. Lets see... Kaiser Sea Horse... De-Spell... Enemy Controller... Blood Vorse...

One by one the cards were placed, each name coming to mind within a split second of the draw. Rare Metal Dragon... Monster Reborn... Different Dimension Dragon...

As the cards were flipped from the deck to the small table Seto's thoughts gradually drifted off, the minutes of silence passing by as a frown came over her. No matter what card she drew, her thoughts were continuously snapped back from the name to the events that occurred earlier on. Back at the pier...

Why did she jump in after Jonouchi? Why did she save him? She'd been telling herself it was for Mokuba, for his sake, as should the blond have died before him he would have certainly been traumatized beyond belief. But despite that excuse she couldn't fully convince herself that it was _only_ for Mokuba. She'd simply 'acted' after all, not thinking about the consequences, or the 'why's of the matter. She'd simply run over, watching Jonouchi's expression as he sunk into the water...

And moved.

Seto paused as she came to her next card, the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' staring up at her as her frown twisted. Why. Why did she care about what happened to them? Yugi was her rival, the one she wanted to defeat, so in his case it was only natural. If Yugi were to die her goals in the duel monsters game would vanish, the challenge gone, the drive to fight vanished as she was left with nothing to face in battle. But why had she had even the slightest bit of worry for the blond, the 'dog', the mutt?

Had she been the sort to even ask about that sort of thing the others- Yugi and the 'other' Yugi- would both be rattling some nonsense about 'friends', about how just as they 'needed' her, she 'needed' them. That it was the only reason. Hn!

'Friends'.

That was just another word in the dictionary to her, meaningless. A phrase similar to 'acquaintance', or even 'partner'. All it meant was someone you weren't neck-to-neck in battle with, someone you could use on your way to the top, someone who would get in your way at the worst of times and serve as a stepping stone at the best. And who was she to argue if someone was willing to do that in the situation of the latter? But Jonouchi...

Seto's frown deepened somewhat, a shimmer appearing to come over her Blue-Eyes card as she stacked the deck back together with Blue-Eyes still facing her from the top. She couldn't quite categorize him like that. After all, he'd come in suddenly, stayed there against her wishes, and constantly zigged and zagged between a source of hate and a source of reluctant acceptance. That moron...

He was loud, rude, a terrible influence on her brother even with only half a year of her absence... And on the other hand a small voice in the back of her head reminded, he was probably the best thing that happened to Mokuba in a long time. He was the one who kept him waiting and hoping while still having a fair chance at experiencing life... And even after she'd woken up, he'd done his best to be there when she couldn't, no matter how sickening the idea of 'not being there' was. He was loyal to a fault, and just as determined when it came to getting things done...

A 'duelist' through and through she told herself with a slight smirk, not bothering to ponder on when the term 'duelist' had come into being to describe such a person. Someone she wouldn't mind fighting if it came to it. Someone that while she doubted she would go all out on, would be someone worth paying attention to in a match.

Not that she would tell him that, the woman added mentally. The idiot would probably get an inflated head, brag about it endlessly to his friends and staff both, not to mention...

Maybe he wouldn't, she found herself muttering in the back of her mind, looking up from the cards in her hand to the clock as she pushed the thought back. Then again yes or no, would or wouldn't, did it really matter? At the end of it all the question was still there and unanswered, enough that she found herself standing up to do what her brother would likely ask her to do sooner or later anyways.

_'Why'_ , she wondered, pulling her coat back on as she left to pull the blond to the doctor's office before the idiot collapsed from untreated wounds, ' _Why do I care that you exist?_ '

If she could see things as clear as 'he' could, she'd notice that a small white dragon hovering above the card appeared to be pondering the same thing, before fading into the deck to join with the rest of the unseen monsters.

* * *

As the airship slowly but steadily rose above the district of Domino, the single window in the staircase was barely containing the number of faces peering through. "Woaaaaaah!" Shizuka shouted, eyes wide with wonder as tears dotted her eyes. "It's... It's incredible! To be seeing this after all this time, its...!"

"We're going so far up," Honda said with a swallow, staring in wonder as the others did the same. "I can see all of Domino," he continued, "All of Tokyo even!"

Otogi turned at that, glancing back to the window before shaking himself. "I... Don't think all of Tokyo is really-"

"Oh hey," Yugi shouted abruptly, pointing toward a tiny 'dome' in the distance. "My house!"

"And there's my house," Mokuba added as they grew still higher, Ryuzaki squinting as he looked through the glass.

"Where, all I see is a patch of trees..."

"That's my backyard."

"WHAT-"

Shouts filled the air as the 'stow-away' group and friends clogged the staircase, looking out the window while others in the ship went about their business. Within seconds they'd risen high above the city, taking in streetlights, rushing cars, and altogether the kind of beauty that they very rarely if ever saw. The sight quickly became an enormous mosaic of tiny dotted lights, slowly moving eastward toward the seas.

"Hah... It's been so long since I saw the city," Shizuka was whispering, her brother grinning at the side. "It's so... So..."

"It's pretty cool eh?" The girl turned as Katsuya smirked, staring through the window a moment before looking back at his sister. "An' th' best part is, we're th' only ones who get t' see this," he said with a laugh, wide grin on his face. "Only th' strongest get t' fly! Hehehe!"

"Alrighty then 'strong-guy'..." The blond turned as Mai shouted from around the bottom of the stairs, the others turning to where the woman was poking her head into the hall. "But if you think the view from that windows is nice," she added with a wink, "You should see it from your own rooms!" Ah...

Their own...

The boys abruptly turned to each other, Mokuba streaking up the stairs without another word as the group stared.

"Shizuka-chan, Anzu-chan," the woman continued with a slight shout, "Drop by mine later, and we girls can celebrate hn? It's better than sleeping with a crowd of boys right?" Shizuka blinked somewhat blankly at that, before the others around moved past to get to their rooms with a nod.

"Well... Now that I think about it, we should probably get settled," Yugi said with a cough, running past Mai as the woman smirked. The boy dug out his key card, the group slowly making a line as they left the narrow stairway. "Let's see," he muttered under his breath, "Room seven... So..." He turned as they came to the hall, looking at the door on his right and blinking. "Door three... Hey, Jonouchi-kun?" the boy asked, turning to the other side of the hall, "What room are you... In..." He blinked as his friend slid a card through the nearest door, the entrance hissing open as Katsuya blinked. "Oh..."

"Yeah..." The blond looked at his card a moment, before staring down the hall with a slight frown. "I think we're on sep'rate ends 'f th' ship too," he grumbled, "An' I don' think tha' was somethin' S... Kaiba f'rgot about either..." Which actually figured in a weird way, but wouldn't Yugi be number '2' instead then? Mutterings going on behind him slowly pulled at his attention before footsteps forced it back to the room at the side. "W-What th-" Where did everyone go- Katsuya jumped, poking his head in his room as Ryuzaki smirked from outside the door. "What th' hell!"

"Wowwwww... That was..." Ryuzaki continued to laugh, before turning away as Yugi made to leave for his room. Whatever was going on outside of the room was the least of his concern for now...

Given that the inside was filled with people! "What th' hell are y' all doing in here!" The blond was ignored, the others merely wandering the room as he stood in the doorway.

"Hey... Not bad," Honda was saying with a whistle, tapping a chair with his foot as he looked at the wall-embedded T.V. "It's like an American hotel... Hnn... Where's the remote?" he muttered, his friend growing red as he began looking for the device in question.

"Gh-! How come yer all in here!" Katsuya roared, ignoring the slight laughter from outside his room as the others shrugged. "Seriously..! Can't y' go somewhere else?"

"Not really," Otogi said with a shrug, opening a small bar-fridge at the side. Clattering noises came from the device, the teen's voice making its way over the sound as Katsuya continued to scowl. "It can't be helped after all... Kaiba didn't prepare rooms for 'cheerleaders'!" There was a slight pause, before he abruptly pulled away from the fridge with a white-coloured bottle. "Oh! Hey," he called out as he waved the drink, "They've got calpico!"

"And there's room service too," Anzu was saying from the chair in the center, Shizuka laughing from the side as her brother continued to seethe. "Maybe if we're lucky they have some cots on board!"

"Oi oi oi," he shouted, fists clenched as he pointed outside the room. "Find somewhere else t' sleep!" This wasn't a hotel damn it! (Even if it looked suspiciously similar...)

The laughing continued from beside him, Shizuka shaking her head as Katsuya turned. "It'll be alright Nihan," she said through the laughs, somewhat quiet in the presence of the others. "And besides, it's just your two friends right? Anzu-chan and I will be in Mai's room," she continued with a smile, "So it won't be that bad..." Yeah...

It'd keep her away from Honda and Otogi he supposed...

The blond calmed down somewhat, rubbing his head as Shizuka went on. "And hey... The more the merrier right?" she asked. Briefly the girl appeared to gain a look that at this point lacked only her former 'shiny glasses' to add to the scare appeal, though as her brother coughed it seemed to be just as effective. If not possibly more...

"Eh-heheheh..." Chuckling came from the side yet again, this time from the other three teens standing in the room. "Just calm down," Honda said with a grin, tossing his friend a drink from the fridge. Katsuya snatched at the drink on reflex, glancing at the calpico drink before passing it to his sister; he wasn't really a fan of lychee juice...

Also he was busy mentally calling his friend out on an obvious lie about to meet his ears. "It's not like Otogi and I are after your sister," the teen was saying, his friend's eye twitching in disbelief. "Besides! If we were," he added somewhat darkly, "We'd have competition..."

Honda turned back to the TV at that, his friend tensing as he looked back toward the door for a moment. Gh- Ryuzaki..!

He hadn't figured out what to threaten him with yet either! "Besides," Honda was saying as he opened a can of coke, "We can't just go bug Yugi right now, he'll be preparing for battle! It's important to him, you know," he added seriously, glancing back from the TV. That...

That... Katsuya's hand shook, clenching somewhat as he grit his teeth. "Ngggg... You don' think it's important t' me!?" he shouted, only to be answered with more chuckling as his friend was joined by the others at the T.V.

And chairs.

"Hey! Listen!" Still he was answered with silence, crossing his arms as Shizuka went to sit by the TV as well. Ahhhh... Screw it. Katsuya looked back at the door, eyes narrowed somewhat. Looked like he was stuck sharing with the other guys, Ryuzaki not included. Where was Ryuzaki anyways though he wondered with a frown, stepping out of the room to look out in the hall. Ah-

There...

Well that was quick. "I'm gettin' outta here," he muttered, disappearance briefly noted by his sister before she was again distracted by whatever was going on above on the TV. From what he could tell it was something about a fat cat jumping into a box... Whatever that was.

Back outside the room Ryuzaki was currently just across the hall, stretching his arms as he walked out of room '3'. Room three...

Wait, wasn't that Bakura's- "Ah... Ryuzaki..!" What was he doing in..!

The boy gave a short wave, stowing his hands in his pockets as the door shut behind him. "Hey," he said somewhat plainly, jabbing a thumb back to the room behind him. "Listen... I kinda figured you guys would end up with full rooms, so I'll be staying with your other friend... Bakura I think his name was," he continued, Katsuya choking abruptly as the boy briefly turned to the room.

"B-Bakura!" So he'd been in there too... The blond continued to choke, growing somewhat pale as he stared at Bakura's room. That... That wasn't good...

Even so Ryuzaki nodded, shrugging as he turned back toward Katsuya's door and made to enter the blond's room. "Yeah," said with a somewhat relaxed tone, "I figured since you guys knew him well enough it'd be safe to ask... And I'm not really up to asking Yugi," he continued with a cough, unaware of the groan from behind him. Why...

He got that he wasn't cool about staying with either of the duelists he'd been against but... Why, of all people...

Did he have to pick Bakura... "R-Ryuzaki," he said with a cough, "I don' think-"

"Hey, Shizka's in your room right now, right?" he asked, pulling the blond's thoughts to an alternate topic as they stood in the middle of the hall. The boy was already heading toward room '2' now, passing through the entrance. Ah- Shizu-

"Oh... Hey," he growled with a start, "Abou' that..." He looked back from Bakura's door, tensing. "You better not be plannin' on doin' anythin' t'-"

He was cut off as his room door slammed shut, teeth grinding as he was left speaking to the wall.

"Gh... God... Damn it," he muttered, head smacking against the door with a groan. "Augghhhhh..."

"I see you're acting as bizarre as ever, Mutt."

The flat nickname from the side resulted in yet another jump from its target, Katsuya turning as Seto stood behind him with crossed arms. "Ah..." He swallowed, hurriedly straightening himself out as he coughed. "H-Hey, Seto-cha-"

"I also see you didn't get to a doctor like I asked," she growled, cutting the blond off.

The blond merely smirked at that, giving a flippant shrug in response. "Hey," he said with a laugh, "I've been through worse, an- Nyh!" The blond stumbled as he was abruptly snatched up by his jacket, finding himself pulled toward the next room. "Nyhnynynyny..! What- What're y' doin'!" he shouted, shoes scuffing against the ground somewhat as Seto tapped a few keys on the door's key pad. "Oi!"

Seto merely continued to scowl as the door opened, before roughly pushing her 'friend' into the room. "Do yourself a favor," she muttered following the stumbling blond inside, "And listen for once."

Katsuya blinked, turning back to look into the room somewhat blankly. It looked similar to the standard doctor's clinic, complete with cushioned bench at the side and shelves of first-aid and medical equipment nearby. There was a small stool and table at the side as well, with a nearby door labeled 'equipment'. More importantly however, besides the somewhat thick-set man on said stool holding a stethoscope...

"Ah- Yugi," he called out with a start, the boy in question looking up from where he'd been staring off.

"Hah... Jonouchi-kun..!" The doctor quickly gave him a slight look that said 'please be quiet so I don't screw up my results', Yugi laughing somewhat more nervously and giving his friend a wave.

Thankfully, the other Yugi wasn't quite so tight-lipped. " _Earlier,_ " the spirit muttered in explanation, turning from where he'd been keeping a close eye on the doctor, " _Kyouko came to our room to guide us here; evidently Kaiba wasn't fond of the idea of facing an injured opponent_ ," he added with a humored smirk, Katsuya turning to Seto as the woman leaned back against the door.

"Kyouko did that?" he quietly asked with a slight start, blinking at the thought of the maid on the airship. More importantly however, what was that about... "...Wait..." Katsuya blinked, staring at Seto with a somewhat confused expression in place. "You had her bring..."

Seto merely snorted, turning to leave rather than bother herself with answering. "Make sure they're both fit to duel within the next hour," she muttered, momentarily looking back with a dark smirk. "I'd rather not find that one of my possible opponents was so ignorant to their own well being that they collapsed before the end..." Eh!

"Colla-" The blond tensed, gritting his teeth as he bit back a shout. "Seto-chan!" he growled under his breath, the woman narrowing her eyes in response. "I definitely won't collapse when we fight!" he snarled, pointing somewhat accusingly at Seto. "Definitely not! We fight in this tournament, I'm gonna beat y', y' hear?"

Again the woman snorted, shaking her head. " _If_ we fight," she countered with a somewhat sneering grin, "I certainly doubt that will be the case..." Tch...

Seto ignored the scowl she was receiving in response, instead turning to Yugi as the boy and his other stared. "As for you," she began, arms crossed as she glared at the boy, "A word of advice; you have a God card. Use it." Well...

That was kinda blunt. And obvious. Though he supposed with Yugi being Yugi...

"Our battle will not end without that monsters appearance," Seto was saying with a low growl, "Do you understand? This is the realm of the 'Gods'... The final testing grounds before the last series of matches," she continued. Yugi appeared to swallow somewhat, the doctor as well pausing to listen as his boss went on. "Those cards will determine the winner of this tournament," the woman muttered, turning somewhat for the door again. "And to get them, I will defeat you, I will defeat Malik, I will defeat anyone who stands in my way, and your title _will_ be mine, are we clear?"

A somewhat awkward silence settled over the air at the last outburst, the again calm woman turning briefly as she received a quick nod from Yugi in response. They...

They understood as much as any would... "Good..." Which was apparently fine by her. "You can come to the dining hall when you're done in here," Seto muttered at a quieter tone. "And make sure they don't leave until then," the woman added to her doctor, the man nodding somewhat in response. "Now. I'll see you soon. Yugi... Jonouchi," she continued, before looking over the blond's clothes in distaste. "And get rid of that jacket, it's useless now." Wha-

Now hang on a secon- !

With that the door shut behind her, leaving the boys to stare before their thoughts on the matter could even be completed. "Ah..." Katsuya blinked, staring momentarily before glancing at his jacket as the other Yugi merely blinked.

"...Hn. Interesting," he muttered, the blond turning to him abruptly with an incredulous stare. That... That was his only reaction! The doctor at the side chuckled somewhat, shaking his head as he turned back to his first patient. "Ahhh... That woman never ceases to amaze me," he muttered in slightly accented Japanese, the boys both staring at the comment. Er...

Really? ...Well he did seem to be her doctor, so...

"Now... I forgot to introduce myself," the man continued, moving to push the stethoscope against Yugi's currently bare chest. "I am Doctor Ahmed Syn, one of two private physicians on board this ship in your friend's employ... And yes," he added at the somewhat shocked expressions he gained in response, "I know that you know." Okay... How- "It was fairly obvious in the way she treated you both," Syn chuckled, moving the stethoscope around to Yugi's other side.

"Eh... It... Was?" Katsuya asked with a cough, watching as Syn muttered a 'breathe in' to Yugi. The doctor nodded, before pulling the stethoscope back.

"Of course," he said rather plainly, turning back to the blond behind him. "She's far less bitter than she normally is around you both," Syn continued, "That much is clear from simply being in the same room." It...

Was? Hell, he figured she was less tense at home, and if 'Hanami' was any sign she definitely had her moments but... "She's more at ease," Syn went on, "Less restrained by her disguise... It's quite the relief, whether she admits it or not. ...You're done," he added quickly, looking back at his patient and handing a leather shirt toward him. Yugi nodded as he took the shirt back, pulling it on and sliding off the bench as the doctor moved to change the paper out. "Now then," he muttered, tossing the paper in the garbage as he looked back to the others. "Seeing how this tournament is queued to begin after dinner, and that same dinner is staring in just a few minutes, I'll get right to business... 'Jonouchi', correct?" the man asked, Katsuya nodding as the doctor gestured to his jacket. "If you could take off your shirt and get on the table please." Ah-

His... Shirt? He tensed somewhat, nonetheless nodding somewhat stiffly as he removed his dueldisk and shredded jacket both. "Er... S-Sure," he said with a nod, growing somewhat pale as the other Yugi stared confusedly. The bruise on his stomach...

The pain had died down to the point where he'd forgotten all about it, but now that he was thinking of what was there... It had to have at least yellowed by this point, if not darkened to a sick, blue-purple hue. That was without considering the added attacks he'd sustained through the day, each one no doubt leaving its mark. Even so he took a seat on the bench before pulling the shirt off, wincing as the doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Oh my... I was told there was a possibility of sustained injuries but..." The doctor swallowed, Yugi doing the same as he stared at the expansive bruise across his friend's stomach and chest.

"J-Jonouchi-kun," he asked with a high, whispered swallow, "Where..."

" _What in the name of all..._ " The other Yugi as well stared, abruptly appearing to his lighter half's side as he gaped. " _Where on earth did you get a mark like that!?_ "

Katsuya again winced, the doctor looking over with worry before turning to the small gash in his patient's arm. Bandages, the doctor was probably thinking, Katsuya watching as the man hurriedly moved to grab the required gauze and antiseptic. "Ah... This..." The blond swallowed, eyes dotting across the ground as he searched for an excuse. Something, anything... Some... "Th's pro'bly came from when Malik an' his ghouls got me," he said with a cough, the excuse coming quickly as his eyes drifted over the cut on his arm. The blond gave a sudden hiss as the cut in question was lightly dabbed by Syn's antiseptic, barely resisting the urge to pull his arm back as the dried blood was cleared from the wound. Hopefully that excuse worked but...

Eeeeehhh...

It even looked like a bunch of fingers looking at it now, damn it! Despite what he'd just said it was apparently a strong enough defense for his friend, as the doctor gave a slow nod before carefully wrapping some bandages around a patch of gauze he'd applied. "I understand," he muttered, Katsuya watching as the bandages were firmly taped into place. "Now then..." Syn moved the used supplies to the side, taking the stethoscope from back around his neck. "This will only take a moment," he explained as he took a seat on the stool, "I'll just be checking for any remaining water in your lungs, along with your breathing and heart rate, just to make sure you're alright. Now..." The blond tensed up somewhat as the cold metal touched his bruised skin, nonetheless going through the motions of the check up as he calmed back down. "Take a deep breath in," he asked slowly, the response immediate. Easily done, just had to hide the wince from his stupid cracked rib... "Now take a deep breathe out," the doctor continued, Katsuya doing just so as he again hid the flinch.

Huh... It'd been a while since he'd had to do this, that was interesting... (Was that bad or good though...)

"Now again," the doctor was muttering, "Breathe in..." And out...

Katsuya's eyes drifted over to the two Yugis as he subconsciously followed the instructions, the more ghostly of the pair hovering between the two as he spoke. " _It seems that these next few battles will be a test of sorts,_ " the spirit was muttering, his friends nodding somewhat in response. " _Besides our strength as a whole,_ " he added with a slight frown, " _There's also the God cards..._ "

"Kaiba's Obelisk, Malik's Ra... And Osiris, " Yugi added, the spirit and his friend both frowning. Come to think...

That cloud he'd seen before... "On to the other side now," Syn was muttering as he moved the stethoscope, Yugi and Katsuya only barely paying attention as they continued their conversation.

"Three gods," Katsuya muttered, pulling a face. He hadn't even seen those things and he knew that the name wasn't something to take lightly... "Hihhh..! When those things clash, it's gonna be intense I bet..." Really intense... 'Earth-changing' one could almost say, which was a frightening matter to consider.

Briefly the doctor looked up from his work, only to return to what he was doing as he muttered a calm 'breathe in'. Whether or not Syn was caring that his patients appeared to be speaking to themselves seemed to be a matter of 'minding his own business' thankfully. But on the topic of the Gods Yugi was merely narrowing his eyes, arms crossed with thought. "The gods are one thing," he muttered, shaking his head somewhat. "We know who has them, so even though they're a threat we have an idea of what to expect. But I'm more worried about the 'eighth duelist'," he continued, looking to his partner with a frown. "I know all of the competitors made it," the boy added, "But I still haven't seen him..."

" _Hnnn..._ " The other Yugi nodded at that, his own frown deepening. " _And who knows what kind of man this duelist is..._ " Yeah, tell him about i-

Wait, man? The blond jumped somewhat as his vision briefly clouded, Syn looking back with a blink. "Ah... Sorry about that," he said with a cough, having only just finished. "I would imagine that bruise is quite tender..." He folded his stethoscope back up, ignoring the fact that Katsuya had said nothing about the device being the source of his sudden shock. "You're all clear," the doctor continued, "But I'm going to get you some pain medication for that bruise just to be safe. You can put your shirt back on in the meantime," he added with a smile, moving to open the 'storage' room at the side. Pain meds..?

"Eh... Sure," he said with a nod, watching the man disappear into the next room. The blond waited a few moments, before looking at the others and sliding off the bench. "Hey, you sure this guy's a... Well, a guy?" he asked, the two Yugis raising their eyebrows.

" _Hn? You think otherwise?_ " the spirit questioned, his friend currently looking over his tattered jacket with a frown. Damn, this thing really was dead...

He grabbed his shirt from the tiny pile, pulling it over as his friends continued muttering behind him. "Jonouchi-kun," Yugi was saying with a slight frown, "What makes you think that?" Er...

Just a weird flash of a lady from behind, no big deal... Actually she'd seemed kinda familiar despite the fact that all he really saw other than white fabric were her ankles and hands. Ahh...

But he couldn't really say that could he? Katsuya coughed, before shrugging as he grabbed the duel-disk from the side. "Just a feelin'," he said somewhat absently, watching as the doctor returned before clacking the disk into place. "Ah..."

"Here," the man said with a smile, passing the blond a small pill before placing the bottle at the side. "Tylenol. I can't give you anything too strong, but it'll at least take the edge off. It should last about eight hours," Syn went on, taking a small paper cup and filling it with water from the sink at the side, "But if there's any further pain or discomfort don't hesitate to ask." He handed the cup forward, Katsuya looking at the pill and water with a raised eyebrow. Eh...

Pills... That was new. Hell, besides cold syrup and whatever happened in his hospital trips, he didn't really... Use meds.

He shook it off, tossing the pill back with the water before throwing the cup into the trash. Eh, he might as well, lest the doctor call up Seto he supposed. Of course with his luck, the stuff wouldn't work but...

- _Attention duelists,_ \- a sudden voice cut through the air, a speaker system clearly visible above the door. Yugi and his friends both turned at the voice, listening as a woman's steady tone came over the system. - _If all competitors could please enter the dining hall to the far end of the second floor for tournament briefing and complimentary dinner..._ \- Oh hey, the tourna-

Wait what? Dinner? "Ah- Righ', Seto-chan said somethin' abou' food," Katsuya muttered aloud, grinning as he stowed his shredded jacket under his shoulder. "Sweet! It's startin' already!..!"

"We should get going then," Yugi said with a smile, stepping out of the room as the door opened. "Jonouchi-kun, I'll see you in a moment alright?"

" _As will I_ ," his partner added, hovering behind the boy as Katsuya nodded.

"Righ'! I'll see yah upstairs then," he told them, moving toward the stairs before turning back. "Hey thanks f'r th' check over," he shouted, Yugi adding in his own polite thanks as the doctor smiled.

Okay! The blond charged up the stairs, hand gripping the railing as he clutched his jacket. From what he could tell everyone had already headed up to the main room, with his own room door still completely shut. He and Yugi would be the last ones up there he supposed, and-

"Jonouchi-sa- Eh... Jonouchi?" an accented voice corrected, the blond freezing somewhat as he turned from the stairs. Blond hair and a faded lavender vest met his gaze, Katsuya mentally wincing as the young man waved. Great...

'Namu'. Ah... The teen blinked, glancing at the small flaming spirit on the tanned one's shoulder before answering. "Ah... Hey... Namu." That spirit was staring at him right now... If 'Namu' realized he was getting a cold shoulder however he certainly didn't say anything as the pair made their way upstairs. In fact, a smile remained almost permanently fixed to his face as they moved, adding to the unease of the blond ahead of him.

"Listen, Jonouchi," he was saying, bag still on his shoulder for some strange reason beyond him. "If we're battling, please try to go easy on me," Namu asked, stepping into the hallway behind Katsuya with a swallow. "I'm just a beginner that got lucky really, so..."

So what, increase his luck? See, before he went into the 'if he believed it' territory, Namu didn't feel like a beginner, and that was the problem. His voice seemed quiet and somewhat insecure, but there was an underlying tone of manipulation...

And the way he held himself it seemed as though he was forcing himself to slouched just slightly in apparent unease, with a slight spark in his eyes that said the same thing. And as he took all that in, he still couldn't help but glance at the flame on Namu's shoulder before pulling his gaze away. "Sorry," he hurriedly said with a barely hidden look of suspicion, moving to put a hand on the door before them with a swallow. "But I ain't th' kind of guy t' go easy on someone jus' cause they ask... Even with my friends, I go all out," he continued, looking away as the spirit on Namu's shoulder stared at him. God...

That eye... Scaring the crap out of him damn it...

And yet there was no way he could or couldn't know what it was, there were just too many different cards in the world it could match to!

Namu bowed from beside the blond as they pushed the main door open, smiling somewhat frigidly as he moved past his 'friend. "I understand," he said rather flatly, an oddly cold undertone meeting the blond's ears at the same time. "I'll fight with all I have then, understand?"

"...Right!" And would he ever...

When the time came, of course. Briefly the blond cut those thoughts short, staring at the large room before him with wide eyes as he swallowed. "W-Woaahh..." It was huge. A curved round ceiling sat above, pushing the limits of the already enormous 'ship', and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon statue of sorts stood at the far end with tables laden with food before it. Personally he told himself, the statue really didn't do the 'Ultimate Dragon' justice. It was blocky, with two mouths bowed and hanging open before trays with the third encased within a sphere of glass. But he had little time to contemplate the inaccuracy of things as a voice came from behind him.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way in," Seto was muttering as she passed, Katsuya jumping in response as he caught the smirk on the woman's face.

A scowl came over his face, tattered jacket hanging from his hand as he growled. "O-Oiii..." Well... Whatever then! He'd get her back in the tournament! "I'm definitely gonna beat her this time," he told himself with those thoughts, "Definitely... No matter what..!"

"Er... Good luck with that?" The blond turned as Mokuba raised an eyebrow, an odd look on his face as they walked into the room toward where their friends had already pushed two tables together. "Besides the fact that I still think Nii-sama's going to win this tournament," he began with a slight cough, "I thought Yugi was the one that did the talking-to-himself..."

"Nah, Yugi talks t' the other Yugi," Katsuya said with a shrug, "That ain't talkin' to 'mself. We jus' don' hea- O-Oii," he growled, quickly realizing the hole he was in, "I don' talk t' myself damn it!"

"Hahaha..." The boy merely smirked, shaking his head as they stood in the entrance of the room. "Whatever you say Katsuya-nii... I'll make sure not to tell your sister." Mokuba winked at that one, unable to keep a grin off his face at the blond's reaction. Ooooogh...

Of all things damn it, he wasn't! ...Well, he supposed he _was_ wasn't he. "Oh... Tha' r'minds me..." Mokuba turned, blinking as his friend looked back with a calmer and more curious expression. "Did S- Did Kaiba really not know about where th' finals were?" he asked, the boy beside him chuckling under his breath at the question.

"Oh... He knew that we'd be taking this to the finals," he said cryptically, the blond sputtering at the comment as he realized what that meant. "But I'll explain later. I'll be sitting with Nii-sama, alright?" he added, waving somewhat as he moved toward the other side of the room. The boy ran off, Katsuya shouting various unintelligible phrases after him before looking over at the now four joined tables with disdain.

"Gh- Damn it..." She said within city limits at the tournament announcement! How he knew that was his stupid flash thing, but he knew he was right! Somehow...

Ah well...

He continued to stare at the tables, frowning as he walked over. Bakura's table he could understand, and he definitely got why the others had pushed his and Yugi's in as well. After all more space for them, and they were all friends; it'd just be rude and awkward to keep the tables separate. But Namu's?

Did they seriously have to add Namu's to the mix? As it was the fact that Honda was sitting beside his sister was ticking him off enough already, but-

"Ah, Jonouchi-kun," Bakura said politely, an odd gleam in his eye as the blond shuddered. The albino turned from where he sat at one end of the combined table, a full plate of food already sitting before him as he ate. Sheeeesh... The tone sounded like the other Bakura's rather than the lighter, softer tones, but with the honorifics there...

Why the hell couldn't life be more simple damn it?

"They're about to start briefing us on the tournament," Bakura was saying as his friend came over, hanging his jacket loosely on an empty chair arm, "And besides that, it's an all you can eat buffet!" A shark-like grin came over him with those words, a large steak already in front of him and dripping with grease and sauce. The teen seemed to eye the dish hungrily, fork and knife clenched in his hands. "And with food like this..." Ah-

Katsuya froze somewhat as he took his seat, staring at Bakura in slight incredulity. "All... All you can eat?" he repeated, Bakura appearing to give him an uncharacteristic 'well duh' look in response. "S-Seriously?" the blond muttered, looking back to the tables before grabbing his plate with a grin. "Sweet!" he shouted, the others at the tables shaking their heads. "I'm gonna go back f'r seconds, an' thirds, an'-"

A woman in a suit passed by, the others dropping their forks and cups in response as she turned toward them. For all appearances, had Anzu not been sitting right beside Malik, she would have passed quite easily for her. At least until you compared smiles, as the one Kyouko had on her face was akin to the expression a normal person was supposed to run from.

Not that Anzu hadn't employed such a look in the past before... "Ah, Jonouchi... Seto-sama asked that I tell you that due to the number of people who have mysteriously been found aboard the ship, the buffet has been limited to one plate per person... So try not to break that rule," she added with a dangerously sweet tone, the blond paling as he looked back. O-One...

"Awwww... Seriously?" he groaned, sinking in his chair as Bakura chuckled beside him. "Aww man... I ain't gonna fit all tha' food on one plate..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Well," Bakura muttered, stabbing his steak with the fork, "One plate is fine for me I suppose..." The teen appeared to stare at the food a moment, before eagerly tearing into his steak as the others stared blankly.

"Er... Wow," Honda asked with a cough, watching as the grease and fluids dripped and flew off the meat, "You going to give it a chance to run away," he asked, Ryuzaki appearing to be wondering just what kind of person he was going to be bunking with. Bakura gave no answer, instead muttering something about the steak not being bloody enough and continuing to eat just as frantically, a round of awkward coughs and stares filling the air as a result. Riiiiight...

Well. Um. Speaking of...

Other things... "O-Oi... Kyouko," he asked, turning back to the woman behind him as the former maid nodded. "Since when were you..."

"Not a maid?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, straightening herself in a proud and rigid pose. The woman continued to beam at the group, hands folded behind her back as she explained. "I was _temporarily_ promoted," she announced proudly, "To tournament security, due to the absence of one of our 'usual' replacements." Kyouko winked at that, the blond before her coughing as she continued on. "I was going through the training during my free time," the woman explained, nodding her head somewhat as the others stared. "Besides... It's nice to wear a suit instead of the usual uniform," she said with a stretch, before turning to the front and replacing the somewhat serious gaze. "Ah... We're starting..."

They were? The woman rushed off, the others of the staff following after her while Yugi came in to take a seat across from Jonouchi. "I didn't miss anything, right?" he asked, eyes filled with slight worry as his other opted to glare at Bakura from behind the albino. The group shook their heads in response, glancing back at the front as the lights abruptly dimmed.

"Nah... Jus' startin' according to Kyouko," he answered, a spotlight clearly illuminating the stage far to the front.

"Yeah. And speaking of 'Kyouko'," Otogi added with a cough, looking back from the stage toward his friend, "When you said she looks like Anzu..."

"You _really_ weren't lying," Honda muttered, staring at the woman incredulously before looking at the physical double. "Hey Anzu," he asked, "Are you two related?"

The woman raised her eyebrows from where she was sitting by Namu, shaking her head after a moment of silence. "I'm... Pretty sure I'd know about that," she said somewhat blankly, looking back to the front before shrugging. "Believe me," she continued with a cough, "I'm just as confused..."

"Hn... I'm more confused about the empty table," Ryuzaki muttered from beside the blond, the others looking across to where Seto and 'Malik' had appeared to just about divide their half of the room among themselves. Mai was currently sitting at the table near Seto's herself, rather than taking the chance of annoying the more frightening looking of the two. As it was, it looked as though she'd been striking conversation with Mokuba before the lights came off. Between Mai's own table and 'Malik's however, there was still the empty one.

And given the closed doors at the side it would remain as such. "If there's an eighth duelist," Ryuzaki was questioning, "Then how come they aren't here for the briefing?"

"Maybe they're just late," Shizuka said with a shrug, staring at the table from across her friend before a loud and clearly amplified voice came from the front.

"If I could have your attention," Isono requested clearly, a headset barely visible on his ear. The man stood at the center of the stage, looking across the room clearly as an additional female guard stood with Kyouko by the large Blue-Eyes structure. "Before we start with the dinner," the man announced, "I would first like to extend a 'Thank-you' from the whole of Kaiba Corporation for attending this competition. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the semi-finals of this tournament, and I wish each of you luck in the continuing matches." So Mokuba was right, this was only the semi's...

Damn it, then where were the finals!

"Now," the man continued, gesturing behind him to the dragon. It was only now that the light revealed a series of 'bubbles' ricocheting around the sphere, bouncing back and forth across the dragon's currently closed maw. "As you can see," Isono was saying as he gestured to the machine, "This device is currently scrambling a series of bubbles, each with a number written on its front. These numbers correspond to your rooms," he explained clearly, "And will be matched at random to decide the following semi-final matches." Ah- Random picking?

"Sheesh..." The blond shook his head, leaning against the table as the others listened intently. "Pretty old fashioned way t' pick a match," Katsuya grumbled, looking at the enormous glass sphere locked around the middle dragon's head.

"The first match will be decided before the diner begins, so as to allow time to prepare," Isono was continuing clearly, silence reverberating about the room in his stead. "After the decision is made," he explained, "There will be a half-hour more to eat and meet at the arena above." Half hour more? Wait, he could've gotten his plate already! The blond scowled with those words, nonetheless listening closely as Isono continued. "This arena can be accessed through the elevator located at the far end of the halls on both floors, beside the stairways," he explained, "And will take place above the airship itself! Now then," the man shouted, gasps coming from their own side of the room in response to the 'above the airship' revelation. "Without further ado, we will decide the first match! Please listen carefully!"

He turned, motioning to the two guards as each one pulled a small switch located on the left and right-most dragon heads. The spheres bounced around constantly, the dragons each opening their mouths momentarily as the balls continued to scatter about. With a resounding clatter a pair fell through the middle head's mouth, device closing abruptly to prevent further spheres from entering. The two balls clattered out through the remaining dragons' mouths, Kyouko and the second guard both holding the spheres out to Isono as the taller looked them over.

"Alright!" he shouted, turning back as the two women behind him dropped the spheres in some sort of canister to the side. "For the first match," the man announced, "Duelist number 'Three', Bakura Ryou!" Bakura appeared to choke on his food for a moment with that shout, wheezing back a swallow before pointing at himself incredulously.

"Gh- E-Eh? I'm first?" he exclaimed, Katsuya laughing somewhat as the more familiar tones of the albino hit the air.

"Hahaha..! That's some luck!” Honda said with a grin, looking around Otogi from where he sat beside Namu. "Hey, do your best alright?" he added, the others still beaming at the teen.

Bakura merely bowed his head, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm the first one picked... This is so unnerving..."

"I wonder who you'll be facing," Yugi muttered, a number appearing in Katsuya's mind as the blond raised his eyebrows. Ohhh...

He had an idea... "For the next duelist," Isono shouted, "Number 'Seven' Mutou Yugi!" Yugi jumped at the announcement, his question quickly answered as his other blinked in mild surprise. "Now, with the first match decided," the man went on, "I ask that you enjoy your meals... And as a final warning," he continued clearly, "Those competing cannot be more than five minutes late to their official duel, lest they be disqualified on the spot. All others may stand as spectators if they so wish however, and are free to come and go as they please. So, with those final warnings, enjoy your stay on the Battle Ship!" he shouted clearly, "And may the best duelist win!"

With that Isono bowed his head, the lights filling the room once more as he stepped away to join the guards at the side. Attentions were drawn back toward tables and food, those on the other side already moving to get their dinners as Katsuya and the others turned to the two soon to be opponents. It was actually almost funny, having a Bakura VS Yugi match all over again...

And of course so long as there wasn't any creepy 'Monster World' business, it could actually be fun! Or at least the other Yugi seemed to think this. Everyone else was more or less looking to the albino in pity, the boy sighing as he bowed his head.

"Hehh... I can't believe I'm against Yugi..." The albino laughed somewhat nervously, turning to his friend. "I hope I do we- A-AH!" Bakura jumped abruptly as the face he turned to gained the stern 'glare' that the other Yugi was so well known for, swallowing as his friend raised an eyebrow. "A-Ah... Yugi..."

"Eh... Y-Yugi," Katsuya asked, blinking as the lighter half hovered in the air beside them. "What..."

The spirit shrugged, smiling. " _I decided that since the other me is going to be dueling, he should have the body for now... Sorry about not saying anything._ " No no, really, it was fine, just...

Getting blasted in the side by a sudden wind while they were in an airship was scary as hell. "Man... Yugi against Bakura," Honda muttered as he grabbed his plate, shaking himself as he stood with a few of the others to get his food. "This fight might as well be rigged," he continued, Otogi and Namu following behind him to the tables of food at the side. Speaking of Bakura...

Hihhh... If he had an occult deck, maybe he would have to stand closer to Yugi's side rather than the middle of whatever arena they were going on. And speaking of cards! "Hey... Bakura," he asked curiously, looking to the teen, "Tha' r'minds me..." The albino turned, a majority of the others clearing the table to get their food as they left the blond alone with the teen. "I get that y' got all yer cards," he continued in reference to the locator devices, "But how did y' get them so fast?"

Bakura seemed to blink at that, eyebrows raised as he swallowed a few carrots. "Oh! Well, it was actually quite easy," the teen said with a smile, swallowing a bit of the potatoes still left on his plate before continuing. "While taking a short cut through the cemetery," he explained, "I ran into Kotsuzuka-san..."

K-Kotsuzuka..! The image of the boy in the middle of the cemetery came all to clearly to his mind, eerie moonlight illuminating his vision as Bakura spoke. "We dueled 'all or nothing'," he continued on, the view of the graveyard very quickly revealing itself as more than just his imagination. A sudden flash of Kotsuzuka came to mind in the darkness of the early evening location, changing from a sneering grin to a horrified look of failure. "After I won," Bakura was saying, seemingly oblivious to his friend's paling expression, "I received all of his locator cards... Now. If you excuse me," he said with a curt nod, finishing off his food before standing from the table, "I'm going to prepare for my match... Wish me luck!"

The blond weakly nodded, swallowing as he stood to get his own food in the meantime. Y-Yeah... Good... Good luck then...

A shudder ran down his spine as the 'vision' came further into mind, terrified shrieks filling his head as he winced. Kotsuzuka... Kotsuzuka was being pulled, but the things pulling him were...

Hands, decayed and rotted hands, some of bone some of muscle, and he could hear laughing...

" _...Jonouchi-kun?_ " Yugi asked, the blond swallowing as he turned to the spirit beside him. Evidently the ghostly half opted to stay behind while his other filled his plate, taking advantage of being the one in control for a meal this time. Unfortunately this also meant that as Katsuya's vision settled back to the plate in his hands and the table he was getting in line for, his obvious cold dread was clearly visible to the boy. " _...Jonouchi-kun, are you alright?_ "

Katsuya gave a somewhat shuddering breath, choking as he hurriedly nodded. "Y-Yeah... Yea I'm fine," he muttered, keeping his voice low as Ryuzaki gave him an odd look from ahead in the line. Bad enough the duel monsters but...

Trying to explain seeing things that either would happen or already had happened wasn't something he wanted to do.

"Jus' th' image 'f Kotsuzuka's monsters in a cemetery, y' know? It... It's creepy..." More like terrifying actually...

How the hell was he supposed to duel let alone sleep now? His friend stared for a moment as Katsuya mentally crossed his fingers, before eventually nodding. " _You never change do you,_ " he said with a slight laugh, shaking his head as he looked at the blond. " _At least not when it comes to the paranormal, huh..._ "

"Hahaha... Yep," he said with a quiet laugh, doling as much food as he could fit on the plate as possible. Hey, if he only had one run at this... Might as well take advantage of that! Hell who knew, maybe the taste would distract him from... "Man..." Katsuya swallowed, again shaking himself. "An occult deck agains' zombies..." Another shudder ran through him, the blond forcing the image of a screaming Kotsuzuka from mind as he made his way back to the table with his food. "Am I glad I don' have t' fight him," he said with a laugh, a somewhat shorter one coming from the side.

"Heh! Already know what's in there?" Ryuzaki asked, the blond shaking his head.

“All I need t' know is that it's occult theme," he said with a shudder, "An' I'm good... An' I gotta be blunt on this," the blond added with a swallow, "I have never felt so relieved tha' Yugi was fightin' someone..."

The boy across from him snorted at that, a small smirk on his face. "Well! This better not mean you won't go all out when we face off ourselves," Yugi countered lightly, his friend brushing off the suggestion with ease.

"Pff! As if!" he said with a laugh. "I'm gonna win fair an' square an' get tha' Red-Eyes back!" Of course, the dragon didn't seem to care, he was still sleeping...

The one beside him certainly cared though. "Red-" Ryuzaki balked, choking on what he'd been eating as the blond beside him began wolfing his own food down with relative zeal. "You gave Red-Eyes to him?!" he shouted, eyes widening as he stared. The two teens in question stared at the outburst, Shizuka as well looking up from her plate while the her friend groaned. "Auuuuughhh... You idiot... You're never going to get it back now," he moaned, burying his hands in his head before jumping as he was poked with a fork. "Ack!"

"Keichi," Shizuka was saying with a growl as she pulled the fork back, "Watch what you say about my brother..."

"Y-Yeah!" Katsuya countered somewhat tensely, "I still have a fair shot! We hav'n' dueled jus' yet!" Not a big one granted but...

Hey, all his losses had to mean he'd been learning something about Yugi's deck right? Even... If there was a God... He pushed the thought from mind, continuing with his stubborn self-defense. "You don' know that I'll lose f'r sure... So don' jus' act like I already have!"

Though even as he said this, the dragon certainly looked quite comfortable on the other Yugi's shoulder, small streams of smoke furling from its nostrils as it snored. Ryuzaki however, merely continued to groan at that, holding his head as his own 'partner' and raptor shook its head from behind him. "Auggggghhhh..." Oi oi oi... Stop groaning... "It's useless..!" It was not!

"Y' know," the blond growled dryly, "These 'r really big words comin' from th' guy tha' was knocked outta th' tournament..."

"Yeah but I was knocked out because of a cheat," the boy hissed, his friend sighing as the two momentarily stopped eating to argue. "And the fact is," he continued with an accusing point, "If it wasn't for that I'd have probably been one of the finalists here!"

"Well yeah," Katsuya responded with a shrug, "But I'm still here while you're jus' watchin'... Not t' mention," he added somewhat smugly, "I beat Haga on th' way here! An' seein' how Haga beat y' th' first time around," the blond continued, trailing off as the boy beside him scowled. "Your defense sucks..!”

“Haga got knocked flat out of the Duelist Kingdom in his first match," Ryuzaki growled, Shizuka and all those others remaining at the table sighing as the bickering continued. "I might not have made it to the finals," the boy muttered darkly, "But that's only because I didn't get there in time; I was just as qualified as you were, got it?" Just as qualified..?

"An' what's tha' s'pposed t' mean?" the blond muttered, gaining a stiff nod in response as the boy seemed to say 'what do you think'. What did he think? Well what was he supposed to think, seriously, that-

" _Ah..._ " Katsuya turned somewhat as he glanced to the normal Yugi, the spirit currently 'sitting' in Bakura's abandoned chair. " _...Don't tell me he got ten star chips only to end up 'fifth',_ " Yugi muttered, staring as the boy before them held his glare. " _...That... That would mean he went through one of the player killers,_ " he continued with a swallow, his other self as well raising his eyebrows at that. One...

One of the-

Katsuya's frown plummeted as he recalled the 'player killers' of the island, swallowing. "Wait... You..." He went through one of those?

Again the only response was a glare, a sigh coming from the side. "Can you please stop arguing?" Shizuka said with a frown, the two both turning to her as she stared from across the table. "Nihan... Keichi... I don't know what happened on that island," she said seriously, "But you're not 'duelists' fighting each other right now, you're my brother, and my best friend, so please, try to get along..!"

The two both stared at the slightly exasperated look, Ryuzaki slowly nodding as he stepped away from the table. "Right," he said quietly, pushing the chair in with his foot as he turned away. "Sorry Shizka... I'm gonna go grab my jacket," he continued, disappearing from the room. "See you outside in the arena." Outside?

...Of course. It was on top of an airship, of course it was outside. Shizuka watched her friend leave, nodding somewhat curtly in response. "Right! I'll see you then!" The girl smiled as her friend left, before fixing a frown on her brother. "Hnnng... Nihan..." Eh!

"W-What!" he asked in protest, the others momentarily staring themselves as the shy-ish girl they knew dropped into still more agitated mannerisms.

"Hnnnggh... Nihan, you just don't get these things at all," she muttered, shaking her head as she scowled. The girl held this look, her brother staring for a moment before she moved to leave. "I'll see you in the arena as well," she decided, walking away. What?

What did that even..? "O-Oi..! Shizuka!" Hahhh...

Damn it. The table fell quiet at that, the group left to its bare-bones beyond the addition of Namu and the absence of Bakura for the moment. "I wonder why the eighth duelist never showed up," Otogi was muttering in the resulted silence, the others turning to the empty table in question as the room cleared just slightly more. 'Malik' and Mai had both left a fair amount of time ago while they were talking and eating, with the Kaiba siblings leaving at that very moment. While Seto was calmly walking toward the door and minutely sending a competitive glare toward Yugi, Mokuba was waving somewhat cheerily before disappearing before the again closed door. As it was, even if that side of the room hadn't emptied completely, their own side was notably full in contrast from the start, with only the two security guards remaining at their posts near the Blue-Eyes statue.

And throughout it all that single table at the opposite end had remained completely empty... That one woman in white that he'd seen for a split second had remained behind in the darkness of her room it seemed, sitting at the edge of a bed in the shadows and-

Damn it, he really needed to get a cap on this thing. The teens at the table briefly held their stare across the room, frowns on their faces in light of Otogi's statement. "Maybe he thought the duels would be decided by matching numbers to numbers," Honda said with a shrug, Katsuya mentally replacing the 'he' with a 'she' in his mind.

"Well we know that three and seven are taken," Anzu added in response to the theory, Yugi nodding somewhat with the mention of his number. "Not to mention two, one, and five..."

"And four as well," Namu added from the end of the table, before standing up to grab his bag. "That's my number," he said with a slight smile. "Anyways... I'll be right back, please excuse me..." He quickly bowed his head, before pulling the bag on his shoulders as the spirit as well adjusted itself. He was leaving now..? But why...

The majority of the table nodded despite the slight oddness of the situation, watching the tanned young man walk off to leave the room before turning back to listen to Anzu. "You were saying?" Honda asked, the woman blinking off a somewhat spaced look that had momentarily come over her.

"Saying- Oh, right!" Anzu coughed, shaking herself before going on as the others stared. "So numbers one through five are taken, along with seven," she said with a nod, arms crossed. "It's only natural that with whatever card this eighth duelist got, he figured he wouldn't be called up. After all, with just six and eight remaining..."

"That's true," the other Yugi muttered from the side, the others jumping somewhat as they realized he was still there. "But to come this far and simply hide away..." he continued somewhat suspiciously, "Even with that in mind..."

" _It doesn't make sense_ ," the lighter half continued from the statement, ignoring the fact that only two people could hear him as he spoke. " _Even if they didn't want to do any socializing_ ," he muttered with a frown, " _They would have at least wanted to come for the briefing... Who knows what kind of information they would have missed otherwise!_ " Well, they could have missed anything really...

Unless...

A thought came through his mind, eyes narrowed with thought and suspicion both as he crossed his arms. "...'Nless they already knew," he said somewhat plainly, staring at the table with a frown.

If they'd already known... "Ah... What?" Otogi said somewhat bluntly, the others turning to stare as their friend jumped under the question. Erk- Did he...

Did he say that out loud? Crap, how was he going to cover-

"What was that?" Anzu asked abruptly, an odd glimmer appearing in her eyes as Katsuya turned. "Did you say..."

Katsuya's chair was quickly pushed back, the blond moving from around it as he stood. "Nothin'," he said rather briskly, moving back from the chair with an unnerved swallow. "'S nothin'," he continued quickly. "I'll see y' on th' arena alrigh'?" the blond muttered at a near whisper, "I gotta go check somethin'... I... ...I'll be righ' back..." Terrible excuse, terrible _terrible_...

But without another word he left the room, the others at the table staring as the door closed quickly behind him. He just needed a place to calm down, just...

Just calm down...

The closest 'place' turned out to be a bathroom stall in the men's rooms at the side of the hall, but right now he didn't care. The sink was turned on the instant he got into the room, splashing cold water over his almost white face. Hah...

Hahh... Katsuya leaned against the counter with a shudder, forcing back a scream as he bowed his head and shook. Why...

Why, _why why..._ When Anzu asked him what he'd been talking about, her eyes...

He'd only glanced and in that moment they'd gone golden in colour, contrasting the usual light brown and blue eyes. And her voice...

Her voice!

" _Did you say... You already knew?_ " Why...

_Why?_


	21. From The Mouths Of God

He supposed that in a nutshell this ability of his was screwing with his head a little more that he'd thought. A lot more actually, given the more recent events. It was as though within the last twenty four hours alone, the ability's intensity had increased ten-fold with no warning as to why. For one there was the duel monsters. He could see and feel everything on the field as though it was really there, interacting with all that was. He could speak to the monsters, and when it came to those that couldn't he was still able to tell what they felt. And while at some points he wondered if he was insane for all that he could see and feel, there was a part of him that knew that wasn't the case.

That all of this was simply a matter of being the only one that saw things as they really were. And really, it was probably for the best...

He didn't want to think of what would have happened if people realized that the cards were summoning monsters to fight and kill each other in a never ending war. Would the cards end up used as some kind of weapon, put to use in wars between humans? Or would they end up gathering dust, determined too large a threat to even touch? The fact was the only reason he still dueled despite what he saw was because there was a feeling he had, somewhere in his heart, that to simply 'stop' would be even worse on the monsters.

That to leave them in whatever world they originated from would simply mean more hell for them. After all regardless of what happened, they lived to fight... And for them, things like Parasite Paracide, or the appearance of a 'God' was simply a bad day dotted among the years, a small bit of rain in an otherwise perfect moment. Of course, there was the rest of his ability to take into consideration. The 'flashes' of the future for one were confusing to say the least, a part of this ability that despite clearly being tied into his vision was completely beyond him in understanding. The visions had nothing to do with the monsters after all, very rarely having anything to do with any sort of relevant action, and yet he somehow knew that the monsters and the items had just about everything to do with it. Whatever ties were there however, he couldn't see them.

Not like he could see the ties with the 'Millennium Items', the things that held the objects power in place and guided it along its tracks. There was certainly a link between the items and his vision, that was for certain. And he knew this not only because of those tablets from the museum, but because of some gut feeling that was probably tied to his own foresight. Some nagging and grating knowledge that told him those objects...

Had far more secrets to reveal. The items... They were frightening things, things that were beyond comprehension and yet all the same completely _within_ it when it came to his own ability to do just that. Whatever things 'man was not meant to see', he was evidently exempt- no matter how horrific the nightmares he was left with as a result. There was the Millennium Eye who thinking back, had been relatively tame compared to the other 'spirits'. Merely a moving mass, overshadowing all within it as it attempted to do its master's bidding. And yet each time he thought back on the being, its form changed. It shifted, his memory altered by his own changed perception on duel monsters, the world, and everything within it. It had mutated from the golden eye with shadowed arms he'd seen half a year before into an endless, shadowed 'snake'. A being with naught but a great and golden eye for a face, with shadowed arms sprouting along the sides of the body as it came close and opened a great and endless maw. A mouth that resembled a black hole, and empty space that was just as if not more horrifying than the flames of the Millennium Rod.

When he pushed the 'Eye' from mind however, it was the 'Tauk' that came in to replace it rather than its flaming 'cousin'. An entire being formed of streams of light and stardust, of empty and vast space dotted with the cosmos before it. Endless space, constantly expanding, and at the top of it all was an ever changing sun and moon for an eye, with hands that gleamed with just as much intensity of a thousand suns. The Tauk was calm compared to its 'brothers'. Possibly even 'kind' he told himself as he leaned against the bathroom wall and sunk to the ground. It only sought to give warnings where they were needed, to glean the past, present, and future from those it passed that it would allow fate to travel correctly.

But then he remembered the Tauk's warning, the words it had given upon realizing that his ability left him strangely immune to its prying. And with the thought of the warning came to mind the demon that it described. And all of the reasons why his ability would drive him into an early grave came back to him, all of the reasons why he kept his mouth shut returned, the blond giving a shudder as the flames and teeth came to mind. Terrifying... Horrifying...

And even then, now that he'd escaped and could see what other victims it had taken, just what could he say? About anyone, about Anzu? That she was still possessed because he heard the Millennium Rod speak through her? That he could even hear the Millennium Rod, hear the 'Eye' that they'd seen in the depths of Yugi's mind, recall the writhing, snaking form it had held as it was forced back by the sheer will of Yugi's determination alone? That he saw Anzu's eyes glow gold, saw the flames surrounding the brows of each ghoul and the teeth and eyes which held the control in place? The blond took a shuddering breath, head in his hands as he breathed nervously. Everything...

Everything was going out of control, everything..! The duels were one thing but everywhere he looked he was getting flashes of fires, seeing things that everyone else simply wasn't!

But he couldn't say anything! He couldn't, for his friend's sake, for the sake of their friendship, he just-

" _Jonouchi-kun?_ " a worried voice whispered from beside him, the sound just as clear as it would be coming from a solid body.

"NyAHHH!" Katsuya jumped, only to find himself smacking his head against the sink and rubbing the back of it as a stinging pain ran through his skull. "Ung... Shit..." As if everything else wasn't bad enough... He shook himself off, looking at the crouched spirit of his friend with a swallow. "Y-Yugi," he said with a swallow, looking up and past the boy to see nothing but the rest of the room. "How did y'-" How was he here without...

" _The other me and I have been working on the distance between each other,_ " he explained somewhat shortly, pulling himself to his feet with the ease that came with defying gravity's laws. " _It comes in handy when we need to know where the next bus is, or if we're lost,_ " the boy continued with a short laugh, shaking his head. " _He's on the arena deck right now,_ " Yugi explained, " _But that's not the point. Jonouchi-kun..._ " His eyes closed partially in evident worry, the boy looking down somewhat with unease. " _I... I didn't say anything until now_ ," he admitted quietly, " _Since it looked like you were thinking about something important but..._ " The boy swallowed, reaching out to grab his friend's hand and help the blond up to his feet. " _I can tell,_ " he was saying quietly, " _I can tell that there's something wrong. I mean... If you don't want to say anything,_ " he hurriedly added, " _You don't have to of course... But if there's anything... Anything at all,_ " the boy repeated, hovering in mid-air to meet the blond's eyes as he spoke, " _I want to help you with it, alright..?_ " He...

"Yugi..." Katsuya swallowed, turning away somewhat as he bit his lip. He wanted to tell him, but the fact was... "I..."

He couldn't. The blond sighed, averting his gaze a moment as he grimaced. He just couldn't, he couldn't say anything! Even being on the sidelines was a threat, and if Yugi knew that how would he react? He would be second guessing his every move, wondering if the next card would send damage off to the sidelines... He would end up paranoid about any match he saw, either driving one to never watch the other or worse.

He couldn't do that to his friend! Yugi continued to stare as his friend slowly looked back at him, Katsuya swallowing his unease and steeling himself. But he could do this, he told himself, taking a deep and silent breath. He could at least do this... "Yugi," he said with a swallow, clenching and un-clenching his fists as he went on, "Bakura... I think it's th' other Bakura in control. I think he's been there since he got to th' coliseum... Maybe even since he went t' th' hospital," he added, his friend's face growing pale with the words.

" _W-What?_ " Katsuya again swallowed, nodding his head as he continued.

"I can't be sure," he added, the small white lie meaning little for the situation. "I mean heck," the blond snorted, "We all saw that th' ring wasn' around his neck! But... Didn' y' say tha' only holdin' th' puzzle let you an' th' Other Yugi switch?" he asked, unease evident in his voice. "Tha' back with th' dragon card game, touchin' th' puzzle was enough t' switch out?" Yugi fell silent at that, the memory of the small time he'd been trapped in a jar coming to mind. Maybe he should't have used that example he thought to himself, the image and feeling of darkness coming to mind as he closed his eyes. Maybe... "Let's face it," he finally said after a moment, pushing the thought from mind. "Bakura was holdin' th' ring in his hands when he showed y' what it was doin'... An we never saw where it went after that," he added, swallowing. Come to think of it, he'd missed that until now...

What he wouldn't bet that it was currently around Bakura's neck. These words however were much to take in, Yugi looking to the side with somewhat narrowed eyes as he hesitantly spoke. " _...There... There was a moment earlier,_ " he muttered, eyebrows furrowed slightly as he thought back to the dinner. " _After the tournament match up was announced. Bakura's eyes seemed different... Harsher, fiercer... Like a snake's,_ " he added with a swallow, his friend biting his lip. Try everything was different, but yeah, that worked... Besides, for all he knew that was another 'just him' deal. The whole 'hair on end' and constant 'flashing' he meant. Yugi looked up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes with a look almost similar to what he'd held back in the depths of his own mind, when he'd defended his other half's thoughts from the Millennium Eye. " _This duel... It could be dangerous,_ " he muttered nervously. _"If the Other me and the Other Bakura both decide to fight the way they normally would... That would mean..._ " The spirit looked down, Katsuya turning momentarily to the side. If those two did what they normally did, it would mean calling in a 'shadow game'. It would mean that win or lose, someone would die, possibly both..!

"...We need t' get up there," he said quickly, his friend nodding in response as the blond ran to the exit. "C'mon, let's go..!"

" _Right!_ "

* * *

It was strange, not seeing Jonouchi in the crowd at the side. After he'd disappeared from the room it hadn't taken long for dinner to finish, and for himself and the others to make their way to the elevator lift. The duel was to start in just two minutes now and the arena he stood on was large and rectangular. At the far end stood raised platform, just opposite the elevator lift for the announcer and the Kaiba siblings to both stand at. As it was they were already doing this, with Isono tapping the radio on his head as Kaiba crossed her arms and leaned against the shoulder high railing that surrounded the entire arena.

At the sidelines near the railing he could see Anzu shivering, Namu and Shizuka doing the same. Just seconds later and he could see Honda and Otogi both glaring at Ryuzaki, the boy handing Shizuka his iconic green 'duelist' jacket as the girl thanked him. ' _I'll be fine_ ,' he was saying as his friend questioned him on the action, _'If anything, this wind is a relief; I've been sweating like a pig in this stuff!_ ' The boy's response was a rather pointed frown at the comment and a rather disgusted look at the jacket, with Shizuka's answer left more or less unsaid. It was fairly obvious as to why the girl was now hesitant about the jacket of course...

But as she was already wearing it, it was all too late to complain. In addition to things like this however he could hear his friend's shouts over the side, the arena a good five feet above the 'spectator's floor'.

"This... This is the 'aerial duel field'?" Anzu was shouting incredulously, Namu as well standing at the side and rubbing his arms with a scowl. "They want people to fight in this?"

"It's f-freezing out here," Otogi muttered, the teen having arrived in his usual vest and t-shirt adopted in recent times. Honda himself seemed to be rather immune to it all, having brought his black jacket along despite the heat of the ground below. "What is this?" his friend was growling, blowing hot air over his hands as he shoved them under his arms. "What the hell is the point of this..?"

Chuckling came from the side at those questions, Kaiba momentarily turning to face the group from the stage.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... At an altitude of a thousand meters above the ground," she explained with a smirk, Mokuba having prepared by putting on a sweater, "The difference in temperature from here to the ground is a full ten degrees... Combined with blistering, slicing winds," the woman added in her well disguised voice, "These duels will test the very limits of those participating..." Still more chuckling hit the air at that, the woman's smirk appearing just a few notches lower than the near psychotic one he witnessed a little over a year prior. Testing the limits with the wind and cold in a game of Duel Monsters...

Yes, that did sound like Kaiba, didn't it? Even so his friends were still ready to cheer for the match, loudly deciding that it 'wasn't so cold really' as they stood there on the side.

"So it's 'harsh'," Anzu was saying, shaking her head as she smirked. "That doesn't mean that we'll just leave!"

"Yeah! You show them Yugi," Honda shouted, cupping his hands as his voice tore through the streaming winds. "You win this!" He would... He-

" _Go for it, other me!_ " The other Yugi momentarily turned as his partner and Jonouchi both arrived from the lift, the spirit briefly turning to his friend to reassure him of a few things. 'We aren't late', he was saying, 'It's alright..!'

Jonouchi's eyes seemed to be filled with a heavy emotion of sorts until he met his own gaze, a sudden light appearing as the blond grinned and rushed over to the side. "Heh! Hey Yugi!" He was here...

But as he back across the field, mutterings at the side dying on the winds, he couldn't help but notice the fierce stare in his opponent's eyes. "Well... It's been a long time since we could talk like this," the albino said plainly, wind pushing the fabric of his shirt against the ring he wore. By some dark magics at the teen's power it melted through the shirt, appearing atop the fabric to glimmer dully in the moonlight above. The sneering grin on Bakura's face darkened, the teen chuckling as he gestured to his opponent. "Wouldn't you agree, 'Yugi'?" Well well well...

'Damn,' he could hear Jonouchi mutter from the side, 'I was right...' So it would seem. As to why Jonouchi had suspected this, he would think it a required trait for a guard after what happened in the 'Monster World'. No matter what happened, Jonouchi's job was effectively to protect that family. And while the thought seemed more than bizarre to him, he still had to admit that fact.

Just as he had to face the 'other Bakura' across from him now. "Hnp... I had a feeling things were going too well from your end," he muttered, eyes narrowing darkly. His lighter half had once mentioned 'Bakura' helping him in the Black-Clown fire. He hadn't believed him, even after the boy had managed to get a single day of 'walking around town' in with the spirit. What happened that day was blocked from his mind, just as it was blocked from the lighter Bakura's. But when it came to him a nagging thought came to mind- earlier, this Bakura had emulated the 'normal' one's actions perfectly, up until the look he'd gained with his match announcement. So how long... "Just how long have you been in control, 'Dark Bakura'?" The answer...

An even darker smirk came across Bakura's face, low chuckling hitting the air as he narrowed his eyes. "How long do you think?" It wasn't good.

Yugi narrowed his eyes, staring across the field before shaking his head and sighing. "Who knew that we would face each other with cards the next time we met?" he said with a blank stare, clicking his disk into place as Bakura did the same. "It almost reminds me of the last time we played..." The last time they'd instilled a 'shadow game'.

"Ahhh yes," his opponent muttered nostalgically, "The 'Monster World'..." Bakura smirked, the already vicious wind appearing to tear through their very skin as it increased in intensity. "I must say," he admitted with a grin, "I really enjoyed playing that game with you... My first loss! It was exciting... Though I think it would be best to hold off on the magics that did that this time around, while the 'kids' are watching," he added darkly. Tch! 'Kids' eh? Well considering that the last time this happened Bakura was actually killed...

He supposed his lighter half would prefer they duel 'normally'. "Tch." The teen shook his head, holding his disk out in position as he stared his opponent down. "I'm only going to ask this once," he growled, narrowing his eyes as quiet mutterings went on from the side. "Are you after the Millennium Puzzle?"

Briefly the teen appeared to stare, before shrugging and shaking his head. "Hnnn... A tempting offer," the albino responded idly, "But no, not at all... The Puzzle suits you far more than it does me," he stated plainly, Yugi raising his eyebrows for a moment at the comment. He wasn't after the puzzle. Well that was certainly new. So then what... "What I want is your God card," Bakura announced with a smirk, narrowing his eyes as he gestured around them. "After all to dominate the gaming world," he explained plainly, "You have to win! And to win this match means to get your God, clear?" Ah-

In other words he didn't want anything! But that made no sense at all, it meant-

"Now then," the teen muttered, appearing to space out somewhat as he fell silent. Yugi's attention was pulled to the voice from behind him, Isono's shout clearly piercing the air...

"Round one of the Tournament Semi-Finals will now begin," he shouted. "DUEL START!"

"GO!"

* * *

"Could someone PLEASE explain what the hell is going on!"

The others sighed somewhat as the duel began, initial shock over the appearance of the other Bakura more or less settled. The fact was it wasn't much of a shock for himself- there was no additional wind, no visible storm in the air. Bakura had been his darker half since before they'd seen him in the coliseum.

Even so. For those who were not familiar in the ways of the elusive Millennium Items and the bullshit they carried with them, the reaction was to continue shouting in shock. This was all understandable when they themselves were shouting...

But could someone please shut Ryuzaki up?

"Nihan?" Shizuka asked from beside her friend, the blond tensing momentarily as he recognized the boy's jacket around her shoulders and arms. He didn't know what was worse, that the jacket fit her or that she was wearing it and- He should probably listen to what she was saying. "What's everyone talking about..? 'Dark selves', 'the Ring'... What does it mean?" she pressed, her voice returned to its 'public' and 'shy' tone.

The others in the group of 'odd ones out' nodded, expressions more or less revealing identical shock. "Even his eyes changed," Namu added from the side, Katsuya mentally wincing as the teen approached. Awwww, why was he... Oh of course he was here damn it. God... "They went from brown to red..! What's going on?"

"Whatever it is," Otogi muttered under his breath, "It's not good... Not at all..." Yeah, tell him about it. He could hardly expect the others to take that as an explanation though.

Katsuya sighed, crossing his arms as he looked back to the three with an almost uncharacteristically severe gaze. "Long story short," he explained quietly, "Th' Millennium Items are these Ancient Egyptian relics w' some kinda unknown, dark power... 'Magic' you could say," he added, Shizuka and Ryuzaki both trading confused and skeptical glances as Namu appeared to half listen. This feeling... It was almost as though 'Namu' already knew. Even so he went on, glancing back at the arena with a swallow. "I've seen souls taken w' these things, even switched int' figurines... Some 'f them control people's minds, an others c'n read 'm, or tell th' future. But in th' case 'f th' Ring an' Puzzle," the blond continued, ignoring the confused frowns from his friends at the mention of an item they didn't know of, "Th' item comes with a sep'rate personality. Darker ones, some nice like Yugi's..."

"And others 'evil', like Bakura's," Honda added darkly, having guessed where the conversation was going.

Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes, silent for a moment as he ran the large bit of information through his head. "Right... Let me get this straight," he said with a cough. "Bakura and Yugi are possessed by Ancient Egyptian ghosts with some kind of 'dark power' while other guys are running around with mind-control and soul-stealing devices?"

"Keichi," Shizuka muttered with a nervous laugh, "It sounds a lot worse when you say it..."

"I'm just repeating what they just told us," he said with a shrug, "You can't blame me for throwing it out there!"

"Maybe we can't... But it's still true," Anzu said with a shudder, shaking her head and rubbing her bare arms in the cold. "Last year, shortly after we met Bakura," she began with a swallow, "When we met his other side... This side," she added with a short gesture, "Locked each of us in RPG figurines, forcing us to play a table-top game with him. Otogi wasn't there," the woman said with a nervous swallow, "But Mokuba was."

At that Ryuzaki looked toward the stage, the boy only just noticing the look of dread from Mokuba as the youngest on the ship hid somewhat behind his sister.

"We almost died," Anzu muttered under her breath, a majority of the group paling as they recalled the experience. Hell...

They did die. "That's... That's incredible," Namu muttered, shaking his head in apparent surprise. Incredible wasn't the word for it, but it certainly seemed to have quieted Ryuzaki as the boy realized just what kind of person he was planning to room with. "It's unbelievable..." That one... He supposed that one fit a little more.

"Yeah, well, say what y' want," Katsuya muttered, looking back to the stage with a swallow. "I've got a nasty feelin' about this duel..."

"You're telling me," Honda muttered in response as he shook his head. "Shit... You better not lose Yugi!" he shouted loudly, the spiritual form of their friend vanishing for the puzzle to add the needed support for the match. "Beat this guy!"

"Bring back the real Bakura!" Anzu continued, the duelists above drawing their hand as the winds tore past.

"Hey, whatever works," Ryuzaki said with a shrug, before cupping his hands with a nervous laugh. "H-Hey! Yugi! Can I stay in your room after this? ...Ow!" The boy ducked as a hand flicked the back of his head, rubbing it as he looked at his friend. "S-Shizka..."

"Honestly..!" The girl turned back to the duel above, watching as Isono announced the start and the duelist's almost required banter began from before them.

"Lets see what you're made of!" Yugi spat, smirking as he looked over his cards. From the white knuckles his grip had, it was taking all he could to keep the cards in place, his opponent likely doing the same.

"Hn! I'll do more than THAT," his opponent responded with a chuckle, setting a card on the disk. A tablet arose seemingly from the passing winds themselves as he moved, free hand gesturing to the field as he shouted. "It's my turn! And I'll play the Portrait's Secret in attack mode," he continued, the tablet carving out the image of a somewhat aged man on its front before seemingly going dormant. "Turn over!" Eh-

Katsuya narrowed his eyes, tilting his head somewhat. The tablet was card out, but it was in attack mode, not defense. So where-

" _Hnhnhnhnhnh..._ " The blond shuddered somewhat as bone-thin and yellowed hands 'seeped' out of the stone, a skull-like face following after. Shadowed and sunken eyes stared forward at the field, the skeletal monster arising from the tablet to hover above its inaccurate portrait.

"H-Hihhhh..."

All fear aside, the others at least had a positive reaction to what looked to be an amateur move. "Heh... Bakura's completely defenseless with something like that," Ryuzaki was saying with a grin, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "That's just a 'vanilla' monster... There's no effects, no cards on the field... It's got barely any attack!"

Shizuka frowned at that, swallowing as she turned. "But Keichi, doesn't that normally turn out to be a trap?" Her friend also frowned at that, only for the group to watch as Yugi summoned a monster to deal with the portrait easily. The tablet arose and carved within seconds, smoke filling the field and bursting forward to materialize into the prematurely summoned monster with a snarling roar. ' _Baphomet attacks_ ,' the teen was shouting, four armed demon charging through the tablet to rend it into dust. _'And I'll lay single card face down before I end my turn!_ '

The second tablet arose at the side, blank face staring forward as his opponent frowned. "Tch! My turn," Bakura shouted in response, another tablet quickly appearing to the field. A dust of sorts sifted through the tablet as its crude and simple image appeared, the cloud forming an antique looking bed atop the field. Within the bed a small girl appeared to sleep, expression of calm twisting into undying terror as a blade wielding husk of a woman arose from her form. "I summon the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode," Bakura announced plainly, "End turn!"

"A-Attack mode again?" Katsuya shouted, staring at the field before shaking himself. "O-Oi, how'd he even get here with that kind of play!"

"It's like he doesn't even understand the rules of the game," Ryuzaki muttered incredulously, shaking his head. "Heck, even you picked up on things after the first move," he added, turning to Shizuka as the girl scowled.

"Oiiii," the girl muttered dangerously, "Just what's that supposed to mean..?"

Ryuzaki swallowed, backing away with a nervous laugh. "Err... It means... Ah..."

"It means tha' Yugi's gonna win this easy," Katsuya offered with a slight smirk, only for it to fall as he realized who he was defending. "Wait..." He wasn't supposed to be on Ryuzaki's side!

A sigh came from the side, the others turning momentarily as Namu scowled. "This isn't entertaining at all," the foreigner muttered, watching as Yugi summoned yet another monster to the field.

"Gamma," the boy was shouting at the moment, a winged, metaloid monster charging forth from the tablet that had appeared at the side of the field. "Attack with MAGNET PUNCH! " The monster nodded curtly, hopping into the air with steel wings before charging the bed with a right hook. The wood splintered into pieces easily beneath the force of Gamma's tightly clenched fists, the medium for which its ghost could survive destroyed as its tablet collapsed to the ground. "In addition, Baphomet attacks directly!" he continued, the four armed monster giving a loud growl in response.

" _GnnnAOO_!"

"Gh!" Claws the width of a person's arm came down on Bakura's body, the limb literally cutting through his form as the albino growled. Easy... Baphomet appeared to send the teen a leering grin as it returned to its side of the field, flexing white-feathered wings as it crouched atop the tablet. The duel was passing so easily, the blond thought to himself, and yet... "My turn again," Bakura muttered somewhat stiffly, setting a card on the field for yet another tablet to appear on the field. As the beast carved itself into form the smoking suit of armor stepped forward, the monster missing only a helm and a head both as it spun a double-handed sword in its hands. "Headless Knight," its summoner announced, "In attack mode! So, Yugi," he continued with a sneer, crossing his arms as his opponent frowned. "It's your turn now..." Yeah it was his turn but...

Again Gamma struck at its master's command, Baphomet following behind to inflict a direct attack as the knight's armor crumbled into scrap. Three moves. Only three moves in, and already the tide was in Yugi's favor, with the boy's life points completely untouched. It was almost too much even... Almost...

"Seven hundred fifty life points," Ryuzaki was muttering, the group's eyes wide with confusion and horror both as Bakura took the attack without batting an eye. "If Yugi gets another attack in," the boy continued shortly, "He'll win but..." Yeah...

This was definitely a 'But' situation. "Is Bakura-san really that weak?" Shizuka asked with a swallow, staring in disbelief. "If he made it to the finals, he would have had to beat six people wouldn't he?"

"Pretty much," Otogi muttered with a swallow, the others merely staring.

"It's actually kinda creepy," Anzu added, shaking her head as Bakura drew his next card. No... Not just creepy.

It was damned scary. Each monster so far hadn't shown a single bit of fear or resistance, merely letting themselves die. If anything they were enjoying it, those with mouths laughing as they were destroyed, voices only silent because of the lack of a truly solid form. And now...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... HAHAHAHAHA!" He really hated himself sometimes, seeing things like this. "Thank you so much for falling for my trap!" Bakura shouted with a laugh, eyes wide as he waved a card somewhat in his hand. "You've just signed your death warrant!"

"What-!"

"But that's impossible," Honda protested, his expression more or less mirrored by those around him. "Yugi's been dominating this match since it started," he continued with a shout, "There's not a card in sight..."

"Unless its something else," Otogi muttered with wide eyes, the crowd falling as silent as the group on the 'stage' as Bakura's laughter calmed. Y-Yeah...

There was always that..! "Hnhnhnhnhn... In this deck of mine is a monster considered by some to be the most terrifying of cards ever printed into existence," Bakura bragged, eyes narrowed into mere slits as he spoke. "It is a monster that cannot be tribute summoned in any way, only by one special method of actions... Three monster cards, in attack mode, destroyed within five turns," he announced, setting the card as a tablet arose directly to his side, "All residing in the bowels of the grave! And for such a sacrifice," he continued with a cackling grin, acid green smoke carving an image into the stone as he laughed. "I am rewarded with this! The Queen of the Dead, she who devours the living... DARK NECROFEAR!"

" _Hnhnhnhnhahahaha..._ " Dark chuckling rang through the air, the source clearly that of a woman rather than either of the duelists on the field. The smoke of the tablet was filling Bakura's side of the field, swirling into the forms of hands and screaming faces both as the voice continued. " _Your sacrifice shall indeed be rewarded_ ," the woman whispered, before breaking into laughter once again. Gh-

Katsuya tensed as black stiletto boots appeared from within the tablet, carrying with them a woman with skin in the same deep blue colour of cold dead flesh. Her ribs were made of wrought steel, hiding within them half eaten organs and in her arms she carried the top half of a broken and sightless doll, her arms themselves appearing just as jointed beneath the black iron armor. Completely hairless the monster stood, turning largely black eyes to the side before a sinister smirk came over her face. And whatever Bakura was saying became background noise to him as the monster stepped toward him from the arena, stooping down to a kneeling position as she stared curiously at the blond. "Gh..." White irises on black sclera stared forward, an audible crack coming through the air as her doll as well turned. "Hng.."

"O-Oi," Ryuzaki muttered from beside the blond, tapping his shoulder to get no response. "Jonouchi, are you alright..?"

"Nihan," Shizkua questioned, her brother merely swallowing from beside the girl. "...Nihan?"

" _...Jonouchi-kun_?" the lighter Yugi offered, hovering beside his friend with wide and worried eyes. No. No he wasn't, even though he was nodding an affirmative so that the others could look back to the field. No he really, really wasn't..!

" _So you are the one he speaks of_ ," Necrofear was muttering, Bakura setting a face down card and ending his turn as the tablet appeared to his side. " _How interesting,_ " she continued with a smirk," _To see the powers of the ancients so strong in one of your time..._ " The smirk grew to a dangerous extent, the woman straightening up as her opponent sacrificed Baphomet in exchange for the Dark Magician girl. " _Well..._ " The two both watched as Baphomet erupted into flames, tablet scrubbing clean before the scantily clad magician appeared on the field. " _I'll be waiting to see what comes of this,_ " she decided, staring at her opponent momentarily before turning her head back to the blond. " _But first..._ " Necrofear held her hand up toward the front of the field, Katsuya ignoring the mutterings and motions going on across the field to swallow as a spirit was created from the air around it. " _Hnhnhnhn... Isn't he cute?_ " she asked, the blond shuddering despite the opposing magician's recent power-up from a book her summoner pulled into play.

For the moment he was too busy staring at the tiny little 'ghost orb' swimming around its creator's hand. Speaking of which...

" _This is the little one who lives in my doll,_ " Necrofear explained, the doll in question hanging lifeless for the moment. " _I thought you should meet before the little one is sent to work... You'll be seeing each other again after all,_ " she whispered warningly, the Dark Magician Girl merely closing the book she'd been given with a snap.

" _Hnp! We'll see about that_ ," she muttered, spinning her wand and pointing it forward with narrowed eyes. " _You're going nowhere near him, understand! This one is not to be touched!_ " A what? The blond frowned somewhat, eyes narrowing in disbelief. Were these things...

Fighting over him? " _Hn..._ " Necrofear appeared to smirk at the comment, stroking the doll in her hands as her 'spirit' floated and spun toward a swallowing Katsuya. " _Not in this realm_ ," the woman said mysteriously, Dark Magician Girl growing tense and infuriated in response while the subject of their argument held back a shudder.

" _Hnhnhehehe..._ " The spirit orb spun and danced about his head, his eyes somehow unable to close. Please leave him alone. " _Hehehehe!_ " Please leave him alone now!

The Dark Magician Girl's book appeared to explode into dust, the girl shaking with rage as she made to hover above the air. " _Gh...! Why you... BLACK BURNING!_ " she screeched, flames spiraling from the tip of the staff. The fires tore through the monster before her, Necrofear merely closing her eyes in peace as the soul she held turned worriedly from Katsuya's side.

" _Hn... I will see you soon then,_ " Necrofear responded as her flesh slowly blistered and melted away, the remaining portions of her body crumbling into dust as her tablet did the same. W-What...

"That... That fast," Katsuya muttered, only to tense as the soul lingering in the air poked him in the side. Eh-

What the hell! He frowned, only to blink as it pointed its 'tail' toward Necrofear's former summoner. Something above Bakura... The smoke and dust from Necrofear's tablet was sitting on the air still, converging above the albino, but why-

"What th'..."

"Hehehehehe... Thanks for killing my monster again," Bakura said with a smirk, crossing his arms as the dust continued to reveal a form. The ghost at Katsuya's side also seemed to cheer in response darting forward across the field and pulling the blond's attention back yet again. "Now Necrofear's special ability can come into play," he was muttering, Katsuya narrowing his eyes in suspicion. As for what that ability was...

Yugi was holding a cautious frown to the field, looking over his monsters and Bakura's own side as Katsuya swallowed. The spirit... It flew into a monster, hiding itself from sight, but why would it-

"Magnet Warrior," Yugi ordered, a nasty 'gleam' appearing in Gamma's eyes as Katsuya tensed, "Attack Bakura with Magnet Punch!"

" _Hnhnhehehehee_!" Ohhhhh crap.

"Hnhnhnhn..." Bakura smirked almost nastily as the monster turned, ordinarily clenched fists held outstretched toward its summoner. "I don't think so."

"Wh-" Yugi abruptly ducked under the force of a vicious wave of energy passing through him, the spirit from Necrofear's doll blasting through the boy with a mad cackle as Gamma's hand surrounded itself in poisonous smoke.

" _SPIRIT BURN_ ," the high-pitched squeal of the ghost cackled, before blasting out of the host it had taken with a laugh. " _Hnhnhnhahaha!_ " Magnet Warrior's rigid body returned to life as the ghost laughed about the field, its former host shaking its head and looking around in confusion.

" _What-was-I-doing-again_?" it inquired, turning to the Dark Magician Girl with shuttering optics. " _What-..?_ "

The girl beside him sighed, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. " _You were possessed_ ," she began with a frown. " _Really, letting yourself get-_ " Uhhhh...

She was saying? The magician abruptly fell silent, eyes growing dim as Bakura explained the spirit's purpose. "The magnet warrior was possessed by the spirit of the marionette Dark Necrofear carries with her," he stated plainly, "The loyal servant who exists solely to avenge its master. You gave it the freedom to attack," he was continuing with a smirk, "And it was only happy to oblige... Provided it was attacking its enemy." In other words Yugi, who was currently growing notably pale as Bakura continued on with a maddening grin. "Do you know the best part?" he was saying with a laugh. "While you lose half of that monster's life points, I gain just as many! More over," he added loudly, "You've activated my trap in killing Necrofear! The DESTINY BOARD!"

From the blank tablet beside him dust began to form, rising into the air amid ominous laughter. The clouds that hung over him from Necrofear's death converged and swirled, revealing the clouded shade of the monster that had only moments before stood across the field. " _Hnhnhnhah... Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! Hear these words that the dead doth form,_ " Necrofear cackled, spirit appearing above and behind her master as an enormous board appeared before her hands. " _I grant to you the first letter... D!_ "

D..?

Clouded hands guided an immense stone pointer, the letter in question appearing through the hole before a cackling shade arose to the woman's side. "What the... A ouija board?" Honda muttered, narrowing his eyes as the spirit revealed the very letter Necrofear had decided on.

"Those things are used in the West to talk with the dead," Otogi added, also staring at the device oddly. "But what would that..."

Bakura continued to laugh, crossing his arms as thin strokes of smoke and fog lapped at the sides of the arena. "What can I say," he chuckled darkly, "Dark Necrofear just wanted to pass a message along... And the first letter is 'D'," Bakura announced with a grin, "As in 'D-E-A-T-H'... Death! One letter per turn, leaving just four more... Do you understand?" the albino muttered, the audience and Yugi both gritting their teeth as the english word was spelt out. "When that happens, you lose! HnhnhaHAHA!" 'Death'...

At least it didn't really mean death, but with this guy who knew really... "Yugi..."

A few members of the group swallowed, expression fraught with worry. "He only has four turns left?" Shizuka's question was left unanswered for a moment, Honda merely scowling.

"So even if he has lifepoints left he'll just lose? What kind of..." Don't even start on how cheap this was, just don't.

Ryuzaki grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes and staring at the field with crossed arms. "Absorbing lifepoints and putting a time limit on the game... I guess he really did have a strategy," the teen muttered, only to narrow his eyes as Bakura setting two more cards on the field. "...Shit...”

"There's more to this combo!" Bakura was shouting with a grin, the two tablets appearing to shine blankly onto the field before both carving themselves into existence. "Look closely! First, the spell card 'the Dark Door'," he announced, the first tablet to appeared quickly dispersing into a thick dust. Clouds formed across the center of the field, rising into a sturdy wall across the arena before revealing a small, toothy door of sorts. Only one monster could attack each turn now Katsuya thought grimly, watching as the second tablet carved itself to remain dormant with the image of naught but ground appearing on its form. One monster per turn and then the door would close... "Lastly I summon the Earthbound spirit in defense mode," Bakura was shouting, "End turn!"

With those very words the ghost's secondary host seemed to stiffen, the ghost within her taking complete control as a new tablet came into view. The carving of kuriboh could be seen on its surface, its summoner waving a hand across the field as he continued on his move. ' _Dark Magician Girl,_ ' Yugi ordered with a shout, the monster merely standing as the wind blew her hair forward. ' _Attack with Black Burning_!' The girl however merely stood, shadowed eyes turning as Katsuya winced. "Shit," he muttered, ignoring the sudden attention he briefly caught in response. "Not good..."

Bad choice, very bad choice... The Dark Magician Girl slowly turned toward her master, staff held toward the boy as he was left stumbling under an already inflicted attack. " _Black Burning_ ," she muttered almost stonily, the flames from her staff washing over her master as the boy paled.

"Gh- This time from the Dark Magician Girl?" he hissed, unknowingly standing directly in the fires that had been summoned as he recovered from whatever the holographic counterpart had done. "Tch..."

"But of course," Bakura said with a smirk, ignoring his opponent's confusion. "The marionette's host changes each turn after all... If you're not careful," the albino continued darkly, "You'll have me at full strength while your own army tears you to pieces..." And quite literally too, the blond thought bitterly from the side. Even worse... "Of course, you only have three turns to do that," Bakura chuckled, his deceased monster moving the ouja board's pointer to the letter 'E' as a second skeletal shade arose to the air. "Soon to be two! I set a card face down and end my turn!" Awww...

Shit. Yugi was visibly grinding his teeth as he took his turn, Katsuya keeping uncharacteristically silent as the ghost of Necrofear's doll floated around the field. " _Hnhnhnh.. Hnhnha!_ " Hihhh...

The second spirit had carried with it the english letter 'E', and with it Necrofear's dark announcement of the fact. A blank tablet now stood threateningly at its master's side in addition to this, and already Bakura's lifepoints put him ahead of his opponent. "Damn... Th' tables sure turned on th' duel pretty quick," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as the ghost continued to laugh.

"Tell me about it," Ryuzaki added with a growl, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he looked up at the arena. "If he doesn't find out how to deal with Necrofear's effect he's screwed..." Ehhhh...

Shizuka nodded in agreement, swallowing down a wave of unease. "But we can't tell which monster is being possessed by the spirit," she whispered, her brother shifting somewhat uncomfortably in response.

"And if Yugi guesses randomly," Anzu continued, "He's still got a chance of destroying himself..."

Namu as well frowned, the expression seeming somewhat false as he tossed in his own two cents from behind. "Of course if he doesn't do anything in three turns," the blond said with a slight shrug, "He'll still lose..."

The a majority others turned at that, narrowing their eyes while Yugi pondered his move. "Hey... It ain't 'still'," Katsuya said with a frown, the others more or less nodding in response.

"That's right," Honda added, Ryuzaki and Shizuka simply staring for the moment. "He'll figure something out..."

"One way or another," Otogi muttered, Yugi's shout tearing across the air as all others watched in silence. Somehow...

"Bakura!" the boy was shouting, pointing his monster forward as the warrior leaped to the air with a nod. "I won't simply sit by because of the chance of failure! Magnet warrior Gamma attacks," he announced, "With MAGNET PUNCH!"

"Hah-" Katsuya grinned, watching as the monster sped forward through the narrow wall's hole with a shout. "Yes!" he shouted with a laugh, "He guessed-"

"ACTIVATE TRAP!" Fuck. "Dark spirit of silence! Turning your command over to the next attack mode monster," Bakura roared, the skeletal shade charging into the attacking warrior as it screeched. Gamma clawed at its face as the ghost burrowed into its body, ethereal smoke pouring from its joints as it locked into place. Yugi's command to attack went to the next monster but...

Dark Magician Girl's eyes were still shadowed, her summoner growing pale as the monster turned toward him with her hand held forward. "Gh- The ghost is in..!"

" _Black Burning_."

"Glck!" The boy doubled over as the attack struck, the combined force of what were merely holograms and piercing wind pushing his golden puzzle painfully into his stomach. As the remaining flames lapped at his side of the field he stood, swallowing back a slight grunt of pain as he growled. "Nng..." The tables were now completely turned thanks to that attack, Yugi left with seven-fifty as his point total and Bakura at almost full health.

And just as before, it had only taken three turns. "Y-Yugi," Anzu shouted worriedly, the boy pulling himself to a steadier position against the wind. "YUGI!"

"Shit... Bakura's combo is pretty much flawless," Ryuzaki muttered with disbelief, "He's almost flipped the table completely..."

"More importantly," Shizuka added quietly, those on the field staring with wide eyes as Necrofear announced her next letter, a shadowed 'A' hovering into existence, "There's only two turns left..!"

Another cackling skeleton with a letter, Necrofear leering as she looked toward the ground. This was... "Gh... 'D-E-A'," he muttered under his breath, swallowing as the ghostly monster laughed under her breath.

" _Correct... This message is almost complete,_ " the shade muttered, voice echoing over the air and mixing into the air. Shit... Shit! " _This message... It will finish no matter what_ ," Necrofear cackled, Katsuya swallowing as he narrowed his eyes. Gh... Not if he could help it!

Yugi was standing still on the field, staring at his opponent and swallowing back his unease. And as those around him waited with baited breath the blond steadied himself before looking past the ghost that was swirling around his friend. Stupid, creepy ass ghost...

All he could do was shout, but he would at least do that! "Tch... YUGI!" he shouted, the boy turning briefly as his lighter half appeared to the side and stared. "It ain't over yet!" the blond called out, nodding somewhat as he continued. "There's a way t' turn this around... And yer gonna find it! 'Cause we're fightin' in th' final rounds, got it!" he continued, Ryuzaki raising his eyebrows at the call.

"The finals?" the boy muttered from the side, before ducking and turning toward his friend with another scowl. "Ow! Shizka!"

"What did I say about talking about nihan," she growled dangerously, arms crossed as her friend tensed.

"Gh- I'm just saying!"

Yugi gave a curt nod after staring for a few moments, the argument at the side ignored for the sake of the match on the field. "...Right!" Two blank faced tablets appeared at his side as he set a pair of cards, the teen making his move while he gestured to where the holograms likely were on the field. "I'll set two more cards face down," he announced with a swallow, "And I then end my turn... I won't lose," the boy growled stubbornly, pointing forward with narrowed eyes. "No matter what you throw at me Bakura, I will prevail!"

"Hn!" The response was merely a snort, his opponent shaking his head. "Don't make me laugh," Bakura sneered, "You're on the edge of death! Horror and hesitation are more than obvious in your eyes... And with only two turns left," the albino continued as he laughed, "I have nothing more to say than that..." The low chuckling continued to fill the air, Bakura shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "I pass my turn," he said with a grin. "So show me just what sort of plan you have up your sleeve, 'Pharaoh'!"

"Pharaoh?" Ryuzaki hissed, his friend shrugging from beside him as he frowned. Honda and Otogi as well were confused, the emotion undetected in Namu's eyes as Anzu nodded.

"A while ago," she explained quietly, "We went to the museum... There was a tablet on display with a carving that looked identical to Yugi, complete with the Millennium Puzzle..." Yeah...

"It was pretty weird, trus' me on that," Katsuya added, the others raising their eyebrows. Ack-

Shit, he really needed to keep his mouth shut... The blond hurriedly coughed, looking away as he thought up an excuse. "Eh... I... I saw th' tablet when I was on 'guard duty' f'r Kaiba," he muttered to his defense, scratching the back of his head.

"Kaiba went to a museum?" Honda asked incredulously, briefly looking back at the woman in question before Yugi's shouts filled the air. "Ah-!"

"Activate the spell 'Monster Recall'!" he announced, the tablets before him pulled into the spell's blank form as the monsters as well disintegrated into a mist. "I return all monsters on my side of the field to my deck," the boy shouted as his field cleared, "Before reshuffling and drawing five cards!" The duel disk whirred to complete the command, Yugi drawing five cards and refreshing his hand as the machine finished. "As a result of this," he was stating clearly, the ghost on the field hovering and screaming without a host, "Your marionette has no where to go... But even if I can't see it, I know what will happen when I do this!" At that the others around blinked, attention drawn somewhat more as a new card was set to the field. "First, I summon Kuriboh in attack mode," he announced, the tablet reappearing for the tiny fur ball to claw its way forward with a short 'krii!'. The spirit of the marionette immediately struck, the monster's eyes growing shadowed as the second of the ghosts on the field moved to strike. "Your Marionette possesses Kuriboh... But the Spirit of Silence does the same!" Yugi shouted, thick clouds of smoke pouring from out of the monster's mouth. "And while both of these cards are linked to my monster, I'll activate this," he announced, familiar steel chains tearing forth from his remaining blank tablet as the stone glowed brightly. "Chain destruction!"

"Gh! Shit..!" The chains wrapped completely around the monster as Bakura grit his teeth, the spell pulling taught as tiny flailing streams of ectoplasm tried and failed to escape.

" _Kuri..._ " Kuriboh strained beneath the fource, his summoner closing his eyes with a wince as its cries hit the air. " _Kuri... Kuri... KURIIII!_ " With a high-pitched screech the chains tightened completely, crushing the tiny kuriboh into a pile of bloodied fur and bone. With no host to protect them the remaining spirits screeched, dragged painfully into the tablet from which the chains came as they clawed at the ground. Bakura grit his teeth as his two spell tablets ground into dust, clenching his fists before Necrofear's voice again came over the air.

" _The fourth letter_ ," she announced with a sneer," _'T'_." Yet another skeletal shade floated out from the board with an english letter, Katsuya swallowing as the spirit's master announced this fact to his opponent. ' _Only one turn left,_ ' he was snarling, opponent merely smirking in response.

"Hmp! One turn is all I need," the boy announced with a grin, Bakura immediately paling in response. The albino's eyes seemed to flash gold for a moment, glazing over as Katsuya swallowed from the side. Hang on...

Bakura never spoke to his 'other', so who could he possibly be speaking to, and with that look in his eyes...

A sudden feeling of dread washed over him, Katsuya glancing back behind him to grow pale. Namu's eyes... They'd fogged over, an odd expression coming over his face as he crossed his arms. What was... What was he-

"Shut up!" Bakura abruptly roared, eyes growing clear as he drew his next card. Namu's expression as well cleared immediately with the shout, a frown briefly appearing over his face as Bakura held his head. "I don't need your help... Leave!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Ryuzaki muttered, his words largely voicing a majority of the group's opinions for the moment. Who knew...

But Bakura's face had taken a dangerously manic turn as he looked over his next card, mad cackling filling the air around them as he set it to the field. "Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! I sacrifice Earthbound Spirit to summon the Earl of Demise!" he announced, his defensive tablet scrubbing itself clean before re-carving the figure of a bald, rotted corpse in moth-eaten clothes. The rusted blade was the first to meet the air, the monster steeping forward with a leering moan as it raised the sword for battle. "Now... Attack Yugi!" the albino roared, his opponent merely tapping the duel disk at his arm in response.

"Hmp! Activate the spell Monster Reborn," he announced, the tablet releasing a great and glowing Ankh into the air as a new image carved on its formerly blank face. "Bringing your Dark Necrofear to my side of the field to counter your attack!"

The spirit holding the ouja board abruptly gasped, before flaring into nonexistence as smoke wrapped its new tablet. As the new carving came over the field still more smoke came over the air, the woman's thigh length boots slowly stepping forward from the stone. " _Hn... A worthy move... But will it last?_ " Necrofear pondered with a smirk, easily grabbing the earl's approaching blade before rending it from his hands. As the zombie looked at his hand dimly his queen struck, blade falling forward to cut the monster cleanly in two. The earl's tablet immediately crumbled as a result of the action, Yugi narrowing his eyes as Necrofear stood at his side. " _Hn..._ "

"Now," the boy began with a confident shout, "Your combo is broken Bakura! What plans do you have up your sleeve now?" Ohhhh you never say that, never, never say that!

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Especially since Bakura was laughing damn it! "Well... How about this for a 'plan'?" he decided, tapping the disk as his blank tablet abruptly exploded into dust an shrapnel across the field. Thick smoke and fog filled the air from the seemingly miniscule in comparison stone, clouding the duelists and monsters from view as Bakura's opponent shielded his eyes with a shout. Within moments the fog cleared from the field, revealing to those watching the duelists and their monsters yet again...

But rather than Necrofear standing at Yugi's side it was the same trio of monsters he'd had prior the move, with the demon's spectral form standing above with her ouija board.

"Would you look at that! We're back where we started... On the stage of your last turn," Bakura cackled, a sneering grin on his face. "Confused?" he asked, the others before him more than growling in agreement. "Take a look at the card I activated... The spell 'Deja-Vu'! Bringing both of us back to one turn prior," the albino explained clearly, "With the spells you broke my combo with buried in the grave! So tell me Yugi," he continued with a shout, mad grin on his face as he laughed, "Just how will you escape this time?" How...

That was a good question. From beside him the others were more or less shouting calls of encouragement, with Shizuka, Ryuzaki and Namu all holding silence in an apparent silence. ' _Don't give up_ ', they shouted, _'Don't give up..!_ '

_'Don't..._ ' And as Yugi's hand hovered above his deck, his lighter half giving him a confident and hopeful nod, the shouts appeared to help just enough.

" _We have to draw 'that' card,_ " the original Yugi said clearly, his other pulling at the deck with a curt nod. " _Now..!_ " The monster hadn't even been summoned and he could already see the results from the draw. Above on the field Yugi was sacrificing his three monsters, each one burning and erupting into a pillar of flames while he set the card on the field. The others on the sidelines gave a slight shout at the 'realism' of the holographics in response to the play, ash and clouded tablet dust seeming to fill the air as thunderclouds rolled in on the skies. But although lightening was striking the ground nearby, coming dangerously close to the airship, not a single drop of rain fell in the resulting storm. This monster...

God...

"ARISE," Yugi roared, "THE SAINT DRAGON OF THE SKIES... OSIRIS!"

" _ **GRAAAAAAOOOOOOO!**_ "

A poem, a prayer, had come to mind for reasons beyond him. And if he was muttering it under his breath no one could hear over the shouts across the field, Katsuya's eyes almost growing dull as the mutterings came through his ears.

' _You who have faced death and returned from the bowels of the unknown, whom the great God Ra shines upon but Set despises,_ ' he could hear, ' _Whose power now breaks the bonds of the likes of life itself, I ask that you come to my aid, I ask that you grant me your power, I ask-_ '

_**"...And you shall RECEIVE! And thus the WAR for the throne CONTINUES,**_ " the great dragon abruptly shouted, head piercing through the clouds as it streaked past the airship's side. " _ **And thus**_ ," the beast roared as he returned above the other side, " _ **The next BATTLE is DECIDED! Young KING**_ ," he roared to the boy beneath him, those around staring incredulously as mutterings of 'hologram limits' came through the air, " _ **I will do as you REQUEST!**_ " G-

It spoke! Of course it did he was telling himself, but it spoke!

"Ah... Ahhh..." Huge... Impossibly so, Katsuya thought to himself with a swallow, and yet not even as large as it should be with the power it radiated. "So this 's... Osiris," he found himself muttering, staring up at the monster with wide and awestruck eyes. The dragon began to curl about the end of the ship as the storm converged viciously, coils swirling almost endlessly through the air as the enormous double-jawed mouth appeared above Yugi's form through the clouds. The beast was easily the size of Seto's house in terms of width alone, massive and gaping maw likely large enough to swallow the structure whole. With a thought alone it would be able to destroy the ship, simply tightening the coils that sat around the front and back both...

And yet this was the power that Yugi held within his deck, what he alone could control at this moment.

His strength was at the boy's fingertips, and with a single order everything would end. And as wide, stadium sized wings opened to the air, an earth shattering roar coming over the astonished crowd, Bakura as well was swallowing with terror, his ring clattering in the ferocious wind God had brought with him. The spirit of the Marionette was child's play to the Gods after all... And as a simple shade, it was far too terrified to make an attempt to do the unthinkable and attack such a beast in a pathetic attempt to control it.

"Prepare yourself," Yugi was shouting over the winds, "Because this is, as you said, the LAST MOVE! And now-"

"I wouldn't do that," a rough and barely shaken voice said from the side, 'Malik' visible at the lift entrance with what looked to be a rod in his hands. The cloaked man's expression was hidden under the hood he wore, nonetheless appearing mysteriously unfettered by the winds about him as he stood. That... In his hands...

"The millennium rod?" Anzu muttered somewhat questioningly, frowning as the man held it in his hands. Its gold seemed almost false in comparison to the dull gleam of the other Millennium Items, the shine that only intensified when the power was in use. This item...

It couldn't be real he told himself, it couldn't. The eyes weren't there, they weren't anywhere near the field, so-

"Listen carefully," the man was muttering darkly despite this suspicion as the God itself paused to growl, "For the one you face is not a shadow of your friend's soul," he explained, "But the embodiment of my own." The wha-

Wait, he was saying he was controlling him? ...But that was bullshit, there weren't any eyes or flames or anything!

...But Bakura's eyes had flashed 'gold' for a moment he reminded himself, exactly like...

"My Millennium Item is more than just a tool," 'Malik' stated to the boy above, "It is a power. Ordinarily this boy would be unable to stand," he continued, Bakura seemingly gaining a glazed expression as 'Malik' spoke from the side. "In fact... Allow me to prove it," he went on, the crowd frowning as he held the rod forward. The fierce wind accompanied by a 'switch' blasted through the air, pulling the group's attentions to where Bakura abruptly crumpled to the ground with a grunt. The albino grabbed his arm, hissing in pain as he 'woke up', and as a tiny red stain began to appear through the bandage the other Bakura himself appeared to stand behind him with a scowl. Hang on...

He could separate? He could do exactly what Yugi could, and yet he'd never...

"Hng... Where..." Oh hell... "Where is this?" the teen above them whispered, choking on his words as he looked about the fear. "This feeling... What's happening?" he cried, Yugi paling from across the field as 'God' appeared to leer down at him. "What is this?"

"B-Bakura... Bakura!" Yugi shouted, Osiris as well closing his mouth from behind. The storms appeared to increase even more in intensity, teeth grinding in aggravation as the monster growled.

" **A COWARD'S ploy!** " the dragon spat, wings appearing to tense and clench in anger as it roared. " **Actions worthy of a THIEF! You DARE to step in to the BATTLE of the GODS?** " he snarled, " **YOU who wield the MILLENNIUM ROD!** " What? The rod _was_ involved? Hang on, what did that even have to do with-

"If you attack," 'Malik' was saying with narrowed eyes as he opened the elevator's door, "You won't kill him completely... But the damage will be enough," he continued, stepping back into the re-opened lift with narrowed eyes. "Think about whether you're willing to take that risk," he muttered, crossing his arms to hide the rod from view. "Alright... Pharaoh."

Doors closed over the lift as the crowd burst into angered scowls, eyes narrowed as they turned to the lift. "You... BASTARDS!" Honda snarled, fists clenched as Otogi did the same. It seemed as though the only one not snarling in rage was 'Namu', the teen again standing with shadowed eyes as the crowd stared to the field rather than behind them.

"What the hell is this?" Ryuzaki growled angrily, "A human shield bluff?" Shizuka swallowed from beside the boy, shaking her head nervously.

"I don't know," she whispered as she shook, "But at the same time, I can't help but think..." That it wasn't..?

" _So... THIS is your plan?_ " Bakura's 'other', 'Ghostly' half was muttering from above the field, time counting down for the forfeiture of a turn from behind him. " _To force Yugi into a standstill..._ " The lighter one was in tears on the ground now, cards only loosely held in his hands as Osiris' presence forced the teen into silence. His other half's eyes appeared to flash with some unknown emotion as he stared at the boy, narrowing further as his arms crossed. " _You..._ "

Someone was manipulating Bakura.

Katsuya's eyes widened and narrowed in a single moment with that realization, staring toward the shade as it slowly turned to glance at him in response. "C'mon," he spat under his breath, narrowing his eyes further as he raised his voice, "C'MON!" The others jumped as their friend began shouting angrily, the other Bakura turning his full attention to the blond with an odd look across his face. "You really gonna let someone else make yer decisions, BAKURA? ARE YAH?"

For a moment, the shade merely stared, eyes wide with incredulity as he looked the blond over. Briefly it seemed as though he was going to say something to the blond, but as his eyes drifted to something behind him he regained his steel-eyed glare and frowned. " _Tch... No,_ " he growled, turning away as his hair stood on end, answering the blond and himself all at once. " _No I won't... To win with a technique such as this... It wouldn't be my win,_ " he snarled, appearing to flame in rage as he reentered his body by force. "The only one who wins a battle like that is YOU... So BACK AWAY!" he roared, his body abruptly standing up with narrowed eyes, "I have no time for the likes of you... Malik..." As the spirit of his lighter half appeared in the same crouched position it had been prior his other-self grit his teeth, holding his arms to the sides with a sneer as he growled. "You can 'duel' on your own time..!"

Yugi swallowed, eyes wide as Osiris also stared at the albino across from them. "B...Bakura," he whispered, the crowd watching in astonishment as time continued to tick away.

" **The THIEF has RECONSIDERED,** " the God muttered in amazement, head raising upward just slightly as it stared. " **An interesting CHANGE...** " Yeah... Tell him about it, Bakura actually listened to him!

What the hell was up with that! "Hn! I've lost this round," Bakura said with a smirk, forcing an image of superiority right to the very end. "But don't listen to the words your cloaked 'friend' just spouted! This host is key to my plans," he sneered darkly, "And I won't let further damage touch it... So come on!" he shouted, Yugi swallowing as he stiffly nodded, "COME ON... YUGI!"

"Very well!" the boy roared in response, pointing the dragon God forward as its first mouth opened to charge a blast of flames. "Osiris attacks!"

" **And quite so! HEAR THIS THIEF,** " the monster announced, " **Your BRAVERY will not go UNNOTICED! RAA** _ **AAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO**_ **!** "

Whether or not Bakura heard the words of the dragon as it faded away from existence was debatable, if not unlikely. It was particularly difficult to believe as a blast of hot lightening and flames streaked toward the albino standing before them, mad laughter hitting the air while the fires surrounded and blew past the teen. The lighter half's form could still be seen behind the body in safety as this happened, slowly lifting his head to stare...

And for the first time he saw him, rather than simply hearing a disembodied voice.

" _The other... Me..?_ "

"HAHAHAHAHA... AHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAAAA!"

Light filled the air amid the dying cackles, blinding the crowd and duelists both as they shielded their eyes. Bakura's laughter disappeared amid the blast, the storming winds only beginning to die with the storm as it passed. And when the dust and clouds finally cleared, all that was left was a smoking body, standing with his arms open in a seemingly protective gesture as opposed to the challenging one it was.

"Bakura," Yugi muttered with wide eyes, staring at the smoking body. He seemed untouched, still just as pale as ever... And yet despite that it was more than obvious the strain the body had gone through, the wind causing his body to shake as it stood. And with a sneer and a rasping cough the teen laughed at this fact, before falling forward with a resounding clatter. He...

That attack had...

"B... Bakura!" Yugi ran over with a panicked, followed by a number of the others as they ran up the arena steps and toward the body. Anzu was first, followed by Honda as they approached the body and attempted to wake the albino, but despite this they were quickly herded away as Mokuba hopped onto the arena from the stage above. "Gh- Mokuba," Yugi muttered, the others only barely doing as Mokuba silently requested.

"You need to get back," the boy said rather plainly, the others frowning in response. "Give him space, alright!"

Isono as well was speaking, standing from the stage with a somewhat tense expression in place as he gave what now seemed insensitive words. "The winner of the match is Mutou Yugi," he announced clearly, swallowing as he and his boss both made their way down from the stage. "All spectators and competitors must now clear the field; an announcement will be sent out when the following match is decided," the man continued shortly, the others turning in protest before being interrupted.

"Medics will handle the situation from here," Seto calmly muttered from the side, fixing the group with a strange if not severe glare in order to cut the complaints short. "Until then I suggest you listen," she continued, an unfamiliar doctor running out from the lift to the stage with a pair of guards behind her as Seto spoke.

The CEO walked toward the elevator lift with those words, Yugi reluctantly following Mokuba down from the arena as mutterings and shouts came from behind and shortly thereafter beside and before them. _'Strap him to the board_ ,' one was saying, Bakura carefully lifted to the plank for easy transport as pressure was applied to his bleeding arm. ' _We'll have to continue treatment from his room, lets move_!' The lift was quickly filled with people while care was given to the albino behind them, silence reigning in the elevator's trip. Seto and her brother were the first to leave, getting off at the 'top floor' of the ship to head for their rooms. At the bottom however the group found themselves converging in Katsuya's own room, worried expressions and silent swallows coming over the air as they stood or sat in awkward silence.

Ryuzaki was sitting a fair distance away from the group, Shizuka and Namu at his side a few moments later with somewhat pale faces. From what Katsuya could tell, the boy was trying to figure out how to breach the topic of his no longer having a place to sleep... A topic that would be more than simply 'rude' in a situation such as this, despite the slight problem it brought up.

Yugi had switched back out with his lighter half for the moment himself, the ghost sitting on the opposite side of the room with Katsuya as he frowned. Whatever he'd spoken about with his lighter half however, it thankfully didn't arise in their conversation. Avoiding what little of the ability he knew however, was apparently impossible for the moment. " _Jonouchi?_ " he was asking, a slight frown on his face as he looked his friend over. " _Back during my duel against Bakura... Your eyes drifted off when Bakura collapsed. When you shouted at him_ ," he continued with a frown, " _Were you talking to..._ "

"I was," he said somewhat plainly, swallowing another wave of unease as he answered the unasked question. "Talkin' t' the other Bakura I mean... He was muttering something," the blond added in defense as he whispered, "An' it felt like if he got an extra push," he continued, "That he'd realize he didn' wanna win like that..."

" _The other Bakura is a dark being,_ " the other Yugi muttered somewhat lowly, his friend nodding in agreement.

"Yeah... He's scary as hell too," Katsuya admitted with a swallow, "But he still has some kinda connection t' th' real Bakura righ'?" he continued, his friend appearing to narrow his eyes at the comment. "Might not be th' best 'f pals... But th' fact is, Bakura wasn' th' only one there."

" _No, he wasn't,_ " the spirit muttered, shaking his head. " _But this bond... To think that Bakura and Malik both would be working toward the same goal,_ " he muttered, the blond beside him holding his tongue in response.

There was a knock on the door just at that moment, and as Katsuya moved to open the sliding door the others turned to stare. Eyes met nothing but air as they stared forward, before the blond looked down to spot who had knocked. "Ah- Mokuba..."

"Dr. Kuzushi says that she's done with Bakura's emergency care," the boy explained at a somewhat hesitant tone, looking back to the door behind him with a swallow. "You guys can come see him now," he continued as he looked back. Ah...

The others rushed forward nearly immediately with those words, Mokuba stumbling out of the way as they filled Bakura's room. The door had been left open for the moment, and upon first glance it became obvious that it held the same layout as the room he'd just left. At the bedside where Bakura slept a middle aged woman sat, slightly graying hair partially tied up in a clip at the back of her head. At the sudden appearance of a crowd she turned, calm expression quite betraying the look of 'no nonsense' that she held in her eyes.

"Ah... You must be Bakura-san's friends," she said curtly, bowing her head in greeting. "I've finished dealing with his wound... He's lost a fair amount of blood," the woman went on, "But so long as he's allowed to rest he should be fine."

"Phew..." So nothing serious then... "That's a relief," Honda muttered, shaking his head as the others stared toward the albino's motionless form. A single portable monitor had been hooked up, a heart-rate skipping across as Katsuya's eyes drifted around the room. Ryuzaki appeared to have remained behind with Namu for the moment, for reasons beyond them. Though as a nasty feeling of dread rose up within him, he had to wonder if it wasn't going to possibly cause problems.

For the moment however Anzu's question to the woman there was what was grabbing his attention, the blood draining from his face as he realized what she was asking the doctor about. "It would have looked like a large ring," she was explaining to Kuzushi, "A golden ring with five dangling prongs and a triangle bound to the center." Kuzushi appeared to frown at this, muttering something as Anzu continued to gesture to the albino beside her. "It was just around his neck," the woman protested nervously, "Are you sure you didn't see it?"

The woman before them again shook her head, arms crossed. "I assure you," she said plainly, "I have not; I would have seen it while dressing his wounds, if it is as large as you say." The others paled further at this, swallowing as Anzu appeared to frown. The Millennium Ring wasn't there...

The Millennium Ring was..

"Bakura's ring is gone?" Otogi muttered a curse under his breath as he stared at the body, swallowing as Ryuzaki returned from outside.

"Hey, I just wanted to tell you I got another place to sleep and..." He froze, catching look from Shizuka with an unspoken ' _not now'_ while the others continued to ignore him. The mixed fear and worry was more than enough to tell him to bite his tongue, the boy rubbing his head as he trailed off into different words entirely. "Aaaaand I'll just tell you later," he decided with a cough, ducking out as the others bit their lips.

"You... You're sure you didn't see it?" Honda asked with a swallow, the doctor again nodding as she left for the door.

"Very," she responded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to clear this situation with my associate."

"But you're absolutely sure!" As a fair bit of annoyed 'VERY sure' responses came over the air, Katsuya had to share a look with the other Yugi as he swallowed. This was bad...

This was very, very bad.


	22. Atop the Chariot of the Dead

Panic was something that was probably on everyone's mind at the moment, if not at least looming in the near distance. Even those outside the room were likely experiencing the fear-filled emotion now that Honda was scrambling through the ship's halls, and for the moment it was taking a few seconds for the rest of the group to re-boot so to speak.

Or at least that was how he felt right now. "Alrigh'," he muttered under his breath, almost choking on his words as he breathed. "Th'... Th' ring 's gone... An'... An'..."

And he couldn't think of anything else for the moment, his brain was still fried from the duel he watched.

Shizuka coughed from the side, watching as a majority of the others gained the typical pre-panic pallor to nearly match Bakura's own skin-tone. "Maybe it was torn off by the wind?" she asked somewhat quietly, the others turning. For the most part she was likely the only one not in a panic, with Ryuzaki (and likely 'Namu') taking the noted exceptions. As Shizuka continued however a flash appeared in Anzu's eyes, the woman almost appearing to frown as the girl spoke. "The rope holding it seemed rather frail," she explained somewhat nervously, shrugging slightly as the others turned to her completely. "So there's a good chance it was ripped off..." Hoh...

That actually made sense... "Whether it is or isn't this isn't good," Mokuba muttered in response, swallowing nervously. The group turned as the boy brought up the point, watching as he folded his hands over themselves. "I need to tell nii-sama about this, and quick," he muttered shortly, "Before this gets out of hand..."

"I'll go look up on the arena for the ring while you do that," Otogi said with a swallow, running out of the room as the others agreed on this. He briefly grabbed the edge of the door, pointing back at the others with a steady frown. "One of you might want to explain this to Ryuzaki in case he finds it," he continued, "Before we end up with some unfortunate case of soul-theft and mind control."

"Ah..!" The others blinked, Shizuka hurriedly bowing her head in a nod. Regardless of the known powers of the ring the idea was worrisome after all, and brought up more than enough of an excuse to leave. "Of course," she said quickly, heading out behind Otogi. "Keichi! Keichi," her fading voice shouted through the hall, "There's something I need to..."

Shizuka's voice slowly crawled out of audible range, leaving Anzu and the remaining two boys to stand in silence. Two people looking for the ring, two people with 'Namu', and Mokuba had also taken off...

"...Someone needs to help explain what's going on to Kaiba-san," Yugi decided after a moment, turning to look at Katsuya with a worried frown. Like what Mokuba had said then. Of course, Mokuba knew about as much about the ring as they did so... Yeah.

The blond nodded, looking back at Anzu briefly before answering. He didn't really want to leave the one likely under 'Malik's' control in the same room as Bakura right now... Heck for all he knew Anzu already had the ring, and was just going to put it back. But all the same, what proof did he have? "Righ'... 'M pretty sure S- ...Kaiba's room," he corrected with a fairly agitated wince, "'s jus' upstairs, le's go..."

Yugi also nodded, turning to Anzu for a moment with the same slight frown. "Anzu," he asked, "Are you coming?"

"Ah..." The woman smiled somewhat oddly, shaking her head. "No," she decided, the blond giving a deep shudder as the voice was laced over with that of the Millennium Rod. "I don't think so- I'm going to stay here," Anzu continued, "Just in case Bakura wakes up again."

Or 'something' he thought, again swallowing as the woman's eyes clouded with gold. No proof, he told himself as he shook his head, no proof! Yugi's voice pulled him from his thoughts, the boy holding his puzzle somewhat as he nodded yet again.

"Right... Will we see you for the next match then?" he asked somewhat hopefuly, Katsuya waiting by the door with a somewhat wry frown in place as the woman shrugged. "Maybe... I'll let you know alright?" she told him, taking a seat in the chair that had been left by the bed.

And yet again Yugi nodded, before moving to follow his friend out the door. "Right. I'll see you later then," he responded, the door shutting behind him. For a moment they were left in silence, the trio staring at the door in response to the speed it had shut. Now how had it done that...

" _...Did something seem 'off' about Anzu to you?_ " the other Yugi asked with a frown, the boy's lighter half and Yugi both turning to face the spirit as they moved toward the stairs. Oh...

So it wasn't just him then? As the lighter Yugi merely shrugged Katsuya had to bite his lip, frowning somewhat. For the moment, she hadn't done anything but... "...It did feel like she w's tryin' t' boot us outta th' room," the blond muttered suspiciously, pausing at the stair doors before shaking it off with another 'flash' against his mind. Aha- They weren't late... "...Oi! Mokuba!" he abruptly shouted, the teens exiting the stair case to see the boy turn toward them.

"Eh? You guys came too?" he asked, currently standing next to his sister's door as the stairs closed behind his friend.

"Just us," Yugi responded with a short nod, expression severe. Mokuba seemed to sigh in slight relief at that, before jumping at the boy's next question. "Is Kaiba-san busy?"

The boy merely shrugged, turning toward the door and looking at the lock on its side. "Normally I'd be worried and say 'yes'," he answered as he crossed his arms, "But this is kind of important and-"

He cut off as Katsuya moved toward him, adjusting his shoulder and turning toward the door. "Well we better get in there," Katsuya decided seriously, moving past Mokuba to punt the door with his foot. "OIII! OII," he shouted loudly, echoing bangs coming through the hall as the others plugged their ears and winced. "SE-"

"Katsuya-nii..." Mokuba sighed, rubbing his forehead as the blond beside him corrected himself.

That was the point right? There was nothing else he was upset about... "Eh... Kaiba! Kaiba open up!" he called from the top of his lungs, "Yer brother needs t' tell y' somethin'!" More hammering hit the air, Yugi shaking his head as his friend continued to shout. "C'mon! There's pro'lly like five minutes till th' next duel an' it's importan', so hurry up an'-"

The blond's foot was abruptly stopped by the other Yugi's ghost, the normal one shaking his head as Other Yugi pushed the leg back down. "Jonouchi-kun," he said with a nervous laugh, "I'm pretty sure that if Kaiba-san could hear you, she'd have done something by now..."

"That's right," Mokuba said somewhat dryly, pulling a card from his pocket and moving toward the lock. "The doors are sound proof." Whaaaat?

Katsuya winced, rubbing his foot. "Great... Y' couldn't 've told me tha' b'fore I kicked th' thing?" he asked dryly, pain throbbing through the small and likely cracked bones as he bit his lip.

The boy again shrugged, sliding the card through as a tiny light appeared on the side. "Eh... I figured you'd guess when she didn't come right away," he said with a smirk, the blond beside him growling under his breath. Oi oi oi, what was that supposed to mean...

"Mokuba..." A rather smug smirk was his response, Mokuba chuckling under his breath.

"Anyways," the boy said, tapping in a code as a number pad appeared beneath the card lock, "Here we go, try not to bug neesama, and-"

_-fwssst_

"Uh..." The boys each stared as the door hissed open, a few of them growing rather red. "O-Oops?"

Katsuya coughed weakly, Yugi holding silent beside him as Mokuba laughed. "N-Nee-sama!" he said nervously, rubbing his head. "Ahahaha..."

" _...I suppose the part of me that didn't believe myself on this has learned better now,_ " the other Yugi muttered between coughs and laughs. Yeah, because if it wasn't some elaborate ruse to break his brain before it sure as hell wasn't now. Seto looked up from where she'd been latching on the belts for her boots and pants, shirt hanging over the side of a nearby chair as she stared. Despite the half-dressed state of things there wasn't actually much embarrassing about this; she'd already pulled on the binding after all, and was quite clearly on the last of the 'leg-belts'.

Pausing was pretty much required in this situation though, and the shock on Seto's face was very quickly twisted into a frown. "What the hell are you doing..?"

"Ahhh..." Mokuba coughed again, bowing his head as Katsuya laughed.

"Tha'... Tha's a good question," he said fairly nervously, "I-"

"Shut the DOOR," came an aggravated shout, the shirt viciously grabbed from the chair. Hurried nods were the boys response, clicking sounding from the side.

"Sorry nee-sama, won't happen again!"

The door quickly closed over as Mokuba pressed the number-pad at the side, the others trading glances after the resulting silence. "H...Haha... Hahaha... Well," the blond muttered with a cough, shaking his head. "Tha' was.. Weird..."

More silence sat over the air, a few nods coming in response before Yugi looked up at his friend. "Jonouchi-kun," he whispered somewhat blankly, "You're beet red..." He was? Damn it.

" _Haven't you seen her naked before though?_ " the other Yugi asked, his partner palming his head and stifling the resulting laugh.

"That... That isn't the point other me..."

"Hahhhh..." Mokuba sighed, shaking his head before jumping as the door opened. "Ah- Nee-sama..!"

Th woman nodded somewhat in response, looking down at the boy and appearing to ignore the presence of the others. "Mokuba," the woman responded calmly, arms crossed. "So what is so important that you brought along these two to beat the door down?"

"Beat th- I thought she couldn' hear us," Katsuya hissed, Yugi shrugging as Mokuba explained.

"Ah... Nee-sama... It's about that ring I told you about, the one Bakura has," he clarified with a swallow, "It's disappeared from his neck and-"

Mokuba cut off as he caught the look on his sister's face, the woman currently narrowing her eyes in distaste. "Just what I need," she muttered after a moment, "More bullshit..." Mokuba appeared to shrink back somewhat at that, the others pulling slight faces.

"This is serious," Yugi protested quietly, looking up at the much taller woman. "If the ring is missing, then it's possible that the spirit within could be acting through someone else..."

"That 'r Malik's got it," Katsuya added, mentally wondering if the ring possessing a separate person would even be possible. He supposed he was able to talk to the other Yugi while wearing the puzzle but... Wasn't that an 'I get weird flashes and powers' kind of deal?

Seto shook her head, a scowl still clearly on her face as she responded. "I'm already finding it difficult enough to deal with the nature of these items," she growled somewhat dangerously. "Just what do you expect me to do about it?" the woman added, looking at Yugi with narrowed eyes.

The boy blinked, before turning away with a frown. "Right now all we can do is search the airship for it," he admitted. "Honda and Otogi are already looking and-"

"I'm sure your cheerleaders will do fine with that then," she responded plainly, before coating her voice over with its usual disguise and turning to look at the PA system. "Now then, given the time," she muttered under her breath, I would say that-"

_-Attention-,_ Isono's voice called out, the others turning somewhat as he continued. _-All remaining semi-finalists must report to the dining hall for the declaration of the second match.-_

The others stared at the PA system briefly, Seto merely walking past the group to open the stairway door. "Just on time," she muttered clearly, and with that the group made their way downstairs.

* * *

The shower was nice. The warm water had been more than a relief after standing in cold winds with wet binding after all, and while the binding itself had been spread out to dry she had been making sure the doors were locked before getting in. Had she not been on a schedule, and a tight one at that, she would have likely spent a little more time in the shower really.

As it was though she had just enough time to wash salt and grime off herself before moving to get dressed lest she be called down before she was ready. There were only twenty minutes between matches after all; and about fifteen of those minutes had already been spent.

Getting interrupted while getting dressed was not something she had expected to say the least. True, she had been momentarily distracted by Jonouchi's faint shouts from outside the door, and had in fact found herself rolling her eyes before continuing with her clothes, but she'd have thought that Mokuba would know to wait.

Particularly since she wasn't answering.

Given the context of what they were talking about she could see the reason for haste. Bakura was someone she only knew in passing, but even if the ring wasn't something her mind could perceive as a threat despite all logic, Bakura's sudden switch in personality and actions were enough to put her on edge. As she had told the boys however, what did they expect her to do about it? Bakura was unconscious, strapped to a bed, and under the eyes of a watchful camera. The ring in the meantime had probably flown off in the winds on the airship, lost to the waters below as the airship traveled. There was no telling where it would be now...

And yet as Isono bowed in greeting at the 'dining hall's entrance before allowing her past into the again darkened room, she couldn't help but feel that this was far from over. Far, far from over, despite what she would want.

"Is the eighth duelist still not here?" she heard one of the guards whisper incredulously, Seto's eyes narrowing further as Kyouko gave a frowning nod. "That's right... I went down again," the former maid was muttering, "But she insisted that she wouldn't be dueling. She seemed worried about the next match though..." The eighth duelist was a woman..?

More importantly, how could she be so sure she wasn't in any matches yet? Seto had little time to ponder this, the sound of the Blue-Eyes 'bingo machine' as Mokuba had called it pulling her attention. Two bubbles entered the dragon's maw as the last time, each one popping out to the left or right before its mouth closed over for the remaining four bubbles to bounce around aimlessly. "The match-up has been decided," Isono announced, holding the bubbles out for a moment as the slightly less full room turned to face him. "First, duelist number '2'!" he announced clearly, the orb handed to one of the guards, "Jonouchi Katsuya!" At this Katsuya merely stood with crossed arms, an odd and wry expression on his face. Weird...

She'd have thought he'd be jumping for joy right now, so what was his problem?

Again there was little time to think this over, the blond's eyes having turned toward the cloaked man at the side as further announcements came through the air. "Next," Isono announced to the room, "Duelist number 6, 'Ishtar Malik!" Malik-

'Malik's reaction was to merely turn from the room with those words, cloak billowing behind him as most of the others stared with narrowed eyes. The wielder of the Millennium Rod was likely heading for the arena at that moment for the battle- something that Jonouchi would be doing soon enough.

'Malik'... So he would be against Malik then. But 'Ishtar' was Ishizu's last name wasn't it? So just what did that mean then she wondered, before watching as Jonouchi's own frown deepened. It looked as though the blond's luck had come to an end then she told herself, listening dully as Isono ordered the competitors to the arena. The 'cheerleading squad' was following right behind the blond while they moved down the hall and into the lift, the elevator cramped and stuffed after it returned from carrying Malik up to the arena. Strange coincidences...

To think that the blond 'mutt' would be facing off against the most powerful of the Gods, the Sun dragon 'Ra' right off the bat in the tournament, right after the hellish match at the pier. Now that she thought about it perhaps his inevitable defeat would prove useful. Seto's eyes narrowed just slightly as the lift doors closed over, arms crossed as the device moved upward. When Jonouchi lost, not only would he be out of the tournament as she'd hoped, but if he held against Ra for even one turn, who knew what he would expose. Like an experimental 'white mouse'...

With a hundred percent decrease in the fatality rate that came with the job. It might have been a bit late to worry about the moron's safety... But even being somewhat late was better than not at all wasn't it?

Wind met the faces of those in the lift as the doors hissed open, the people slowly pouring out from the elevator to take their places. Before the last of the group left however, the woman found herself snatching the blond's arm to hiss something in his ear, Jonouchi turning with wide and somewhat confused eyes as she hurriedly shared the message. "When you see 'Ra'," she whispered darkly, "Expose all you can before it blows you from the field, understand?"

"Blows me from th'- O-Oi!" the blond spat, only just realizing what the woman said as his arm was released. "What makes you think I'm gonna lose!"

There was no answer for Jonouchi however, as Seto merely walked over to her 'stage' to stand by her brother before anyone noticed the prolonged tolerance in the lift. She'd said what she'd wanted to say. If the idiot wouldn't listen, then his stubbornness would at least prove handy when it came to struggling against Ra's might. She knew that much about him after all.

* * *

The wind on the Airship was just as vicious as it had been during the last duel, if not more it seemed. The battering winds were almost slicing into the blond's bare arms as he stood across from the supposed 'Malik', and he was more than regretting the death of his jacket. Thinking back on it later, the jacket wouldn't have really done much though; it wasn't exactly a wind breaker after all.

Well on the bright side he told himself, at least the decks shuffled themselves. Though when it came to drawing a hand he'd hate to see what the winds did then, given how many times he'd blown hair out of his face. Still...

This man. The cloaked figure appeared completely unaffected by the winds around them, standing tall and strong across the field with crossed arms. "So yer 'Malik'?" the blond shouted across the field, the ghoul's only response being to pull down his hood. Dark skin came into view, along with a side-lock ponytail and a bizarre scar that spanned across the entire left side of his face. He had his arms at his side and he stared forward in silence, his opponent shaking his head with narrowed eyes. Yeah...

Like hell he was. The man was continuing to hold silence even now after all, moving to hold up the 'rod' Malik in question was known for with a blank gaze. The golden object stared out just as blankly as its owner, Katsuya narrowing his eyes as it gleamed dully in the moonlight. This item...

This wasn't real.

The item didn't 'shine' like the others, didn't radiate the same amount of power. It wasn't real, it was merely fake. Mutterings came from the side as Katsuya grit his teeth, the blond recognizing each one. Mai had come up from her room to watch, and Namu had of course come along as well. Yugi, Honda, Otogi... Everyone else was right there, save one person.

Anzu.

The blond turned his glancing eye away from the sidelines, his duel disk clacking into place as Isono prepared to announce the matches. "Tch..." 'Malik' was still holding up the false rod, an object that was despite its false image, bringing up enough bad memories to set him on edge. "Point tha' thing somewhere else!" he shouted somewhat angrily, eyes not moving from the device as he scowled. "It won' do y' any good." Again there was no answer, save for the rod to be placed firmly at the cloaked man's side, 'Malik' again crossing his arms. The cheers from the side were dulled into a roar that was blocked by the winds as each moved to hold their disks forward, a grim stare on his opponent's face and a suspicious scowl on his own. This couldn't be him- it just couldn't!

So why was he _pretending_ to be Malik he wondered, narrowing his eyes further while his opponent continued to stare blankly. What reason did he possibly have? A sudden flash came to mind, the blond unblinking as wind seared past. One... Two... Numbers came to mind, a tally counting down in his head. Three... Four... "Oi," the blond shouted again, Isono raising his hand from the side to start the match. "You wanna know something? Fifteen turns." 'Malik' appeared to narrow his eyes briefly at the statement, staring confusedly in response. He'd say it again then... "Fifteen turns," Katsuya continued plainly, "And I'll win this match."

There were more mutterings from the side that couldn't be heard over the winds. Dulled cheers and shouts amid wide eyed stares and the occasional incredulous frown in the corner of his eyes. As Isono's hand came down however, a single shout rang across the field, Katsuya's opponent paying the words no mind. "DUEL!"

"I'm first!" Katsuya announced, drawing his cards. Okay one, two- "Nyh!" A rough wind suddenly seared against the papers, each one flying out of his hand.

"J-Jonouchi-kun!" he could hear Yugi shouting, the world appearing to slow down as he turned to hurriedly grab at them in a panic.

"J-JONOUCHI!" Worse than when he'd dove into the seas he briefly entered a panic, snatching at the cards. Hand, hand...

Where was the third- Ack! "Th' other one..!" Teeth clamped down on the last one as it fluttered past his face, Katsuya giving a sigh of relief as a brief and English ' _nice catch!_ ' came over the air amid the rolling eyes around it. H-Hah... That would have been Shizuka.

Nice catch was right though, if he didn't watch himself more he'd be all over the place... Literally when it came to the cards! The blond steeled himself despite this fact, pulling the cards back into his hand and swallowing as he drew the last few. Alright... The others had all done fine hadn't they? Well...

Yugi and Bakura had at least, he couldn't exactly compare anything else. Besides that though he'd made it this far right? He might not have Red-Eyes with him he thought to himself, glancing at the dragon on the side, but he'd win any ways! Hell... If he won he realized with a swallow, turning back from Red-eyes, that would mean...

That would mean dick all, this wasn't Malik he reminded himself. A mental string of curses came through his head, Katsuya shaking himself. Damn it. And here he'd been playing with the idea of God Cards, ahhhhh...

The blond grabbed one of the cards he'd snatched from the air, the somewhat bitten one slipped onto the duel disk as a tablet arose from the ground. Familiar stone lines etched away into the rock, and as smoke escaped from the carved stone a familiar and metal coated warrior stepped out. The monster cracked his neck as he walked forward, shaking itself somewhat and looking toward its summoner with narrowed eyes. " _You BIT me!_ "

"Oh c'mon," he hissed under his breath, "It ain't like I had a choice... I summon Gearfried in attack mode!" the blond announced as he cut the topic short, his monster rolling its eyes at the defense. "End turn!"

'Malik' merely grabbed three cards from his hand, setting the first as distant rumbling hit the air. Gearfried looked up from where he'd decided to stand with crossed arms, tilting his head somewhat as his opponent continued. "I play the card 'Temple of the Kings'," the man across from them announced, pillars breaking from the ground with the words. Steps arose from behind the duelist, entering into a building that gained its support from pillars embedded into the ground of the airship as torches appeared to line the walls. Murals painted themselves into existence, and as Malik explained the cards purpose (activate traps when they were summoned it seemed) and set two more trap cards, he almost didn't hear him.

Almost.

The blank tablets meeting the air before what would normally be an incredible sight of a temple on an airship managed to jar him from any spacing out he'd almost done. "Gh... Nothin' but traps," Katsuya growled under his breath, grinding his teeth. Nothing but two blank tablets flanking the temple sides, shouts of encouragement coming from the side. ' _Attack him,_ ' Honda was shouting from the side, before being told off by the others. He had the monster, attack!

But the traps were staring him right in the face as though taunting him, reminding him what happened every other time he disregarded the unspoken rule. Don't attack a trap card...

Or else. It would either be a bluff, which was great, or a trap that would explode right in his face. And given that this guy only had traps...

Although... The blond calmed himself as it came to his turn, drawing setting another card on the field as a tablet appeared. He wasn't afraid. And he certainly wasn't allowing anyone else to think otherwise!

Smoke again filled the air and recently etched carvings, a small wing-decorated warrior appearing on its form. From the side the Little Winguard stepped forward, sword in hand as it gave his summoner as salute. He'd build his force... And then use Giant Trunade to clear the field he told himself, monsters remaining silent for the moment. That would work...

It had to work! "I summon th' Little Winguard," the blond shouted, gesturing somewhat to his monsters with a nod. "End turn!"

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," 'Malik' responded, another two blank tablets taking the sides as he drew and set the cards. Gh... Damn it! The blank stone gleamed in the dull moonlight above, Katsuya's fists clenching as he stared the stones down. More traps! The blond grit his teeth as he drew his next card, setting it on the field and shaking himself off with a low growl. It would all be over in a moment he told himself, just a-

...Well he couldn't say that actually he reminded himself, it hadn't been fifteen turns. Even so... The table beside him completed its etchings, thick steaming 'smoke' rising from the ground to melt over the tablet as a monster was summoned. "Th' Hayabusa Knight!" Katsuya announced, the falcon headed warrior stepping from his smoking tablet to leer at his opponent with steely eyes. "Attack mode! An' then," he continued as the next card was placed to reveal the hurricane tablet, the blank stone slowly carving out a spiral and face, "Giant Trunad-" Wait...

A sudden flash shot through his mind, the blond turning his attentions from his opponent to the tablets on his field. Wait. What. The tablet abruptly crumbled to dust, as its carving came into completion, the rock collapsing to the ground in what was almost a wave as the monsters stared.

"What the-"

"Activate trap," 'Malik' stated plainly, "'Judgement of Anubis'!" The first of his tablets hurriedly carved out the image of a 'dog' of sorts, before grinding into dust to rise high above the temple behind him. Jowls formed from the clouds themselves, red eyes facing forward from a black jackal's skull as the beast snarled at them. A wicked howl met the air, and as the clouds in the air blocked out the moon to leer at him the blond felt himself pale. Anubis...

Wasn't that the God of... Death? Or was it something to do with death, one of those-

Without warning the Little Winguard gave a scream, Hayabusa abruptly bursting into dust with his tablet. There had been no warning and he Winguard was quick to follow after that fact, the piles of dust falling to the field. Just seconds later and Gearfried was doing the same, the resulting dust pulled into Anubis' form as the hound appeared to inhale. Oh shit...

Ohhhh shit... As Anubis snorted at the boy before him, it appeared that it was the calm before the storm. 'Malik' was explaining the card's effect, but Anubis...

The dust hovered through the air around him, swirling angrily as the monster spoke. "Y _ou who would lay a hand on the guardians of the honored dead,_ " he snarled, smoking and cloud-built teeth bared to the blond below. " _Consider this a warning lest you try again!_ "

With a violent wave of dust the blond found himself ducking, arms in front of his face as he turned away and squinted. Anubis sent the dust of his monsters forward in a flurried rage, the anger of both it and the monsters themselves appearing to converge on the spot. The dirt and stone cut at his skin, small cuts forming as he slowly looked back and squinted through the clouds. From each monster's death his mind told him, half its attack had been taken from his life points... In one move, he'd been decimated, dragged far behind his opponent with little chance of come back. And yet there were still twelve moves left, a fact that he knew couldn't be wrong in any way. "Gh..."

Shouts of encouragement and questioning both came from the side as he stood, the dust clearing from the field. And again, on 'Malik's turn... "I set two cards and end my turn," 'Malik' stated, a tablet arising to replace his first as yet another arose at the side. Five traps...

Five blank stone tablets flanking the stairs as the final fifth one stood tall and behind him in the center of the temple. A full house so to speak. He couldn't just attack though damn it! He couldn't just risk the traps again, not after what happened last time! The blond drew his card, teeth grinding horribly as he looked it over instead of relying on his bizarre and unexplainable ability. Okay...

Time to try this again he supposed, swallowing somewhat nervously as he set the card and grabbed another. "I summon th' Alligator Sword!" he shouted as the tablet appeared, the armored Chinese gator stepping forward to look back through the smoke that heralded its existence. And since he couldn't attack for the moment... "I also set a card face down," the blond decided, a blank tablet appearing to his side as he crossed his arms. "End turn!"

" _Hey..._ " Katsuya turned somewhat, blinking as the Alligator gave a slight wave. " _You feel like yourself again, Katsuya-jun?_ " Oh yeah, he'd been meaning to ask what that 'jun' thing was about... There was no time for that now though, was there. A nod was the alligator's response for the moment, both quickly looking back across the field as 'Malik' made his next move with crossed arms.

"I pass," he said plainly, Katsuya narrowing his eyes at the near immediate response.

"Tch... 'F course," he muttered darkly, looking at the hand full of spells that he had for the moment. "With a full field 'f trap cards why wouldn' ye..." He drew another card, crossing his arms after adding yet another spell to his hand. "Pass," he shouted, face growing somewhat red.

He hated traps, hate hate hated traps... "Pass," 'Malik' repeated, groans coming from the side. He hated this even more though damn it!

" _This is getting ridiculous,_ " Gator moaned, rubbing his head as Katsuya set another monster card to the field. " _But if we attack we- ...Hey!_ " the monster shouted incredulously, watching as the tablet that appeared again began to smoke and steam while carving itself. " _What are you doin' man?_ "

Continuing as planned before he threw himself off the airship. At least that was what he was telling himself now. "I summon th' Rocket Warrior!" Katsuya called out, the checker-board armored figure stepping out with mute grunts and cheers. "An' he attacks," he continued loudly, despite the numerous double and 'spit-take's from the side and the field itself.

"What!"

"What!"

"Figures," a slightly more muted voice muttered, Katsuya tensing up with a jolt. Oi oi oi, what was that he heard from behind him? The blond grit his teeth, merely watching as the monster tore across the field for one of the tablets to crumble into dust before it.

"Activate trap," Malik was saying among the incredulous sighs, Katsuya pushing back the words of the crowd to focus on the match. "Eye of Wdjat! Your monster's attack rebounds on your own," he explained, the almost hypnotic eye appearing on the rocket's brow as it turned toward the Alligator. The gator appeared to freeze as the monster shifted into 'rocket' form, blasting off from the ground to charge forward.

" _Oh hell-_ " Heh. One down four to go.

"Act'vate th' Fairy Box!" Katsuya responded, the Alligator Sword safely protected from attack as the 'whack-a-mole' box appeared around him. The Alligator's sword easily avoided the strike from Rocket Warrior, the monster blasting into an empty hole as the Gator stared blankly from a separate one. The blond grinned as the rocket returned to his side of the field, each monster just as untouched as when summoned to the field. "Heheheheheh... Not so easy when I've got my own trap eh?" he asked, a grin on his face. "Soon as I clear you out 'f traps, you'll be wide open... I'm gonna win this easy!"

"So you say," his opponent stated calmly. The man's expression was largely emotionless, reactionless in regards to the boasts of his opponent. "Yet you've activated another of my traps... And this one," he continued, Katsuya abruptly growing pale, "Is no mere 'spell'." Carved etchings began to appear on the first tablet at the side, the etchings becoming mirrored in the remaining two that followed up the stairs. "The trap-monster 'Embodiment of Apophis' activates!" the man shouted, one of the tablets filling itself with thick and noxious looking smoke. With the body of a snake the monster appeared, hissing as a humanoid torso and head slumped forward with a blade. Blackened and violet scales shimmered in the moonlight, and as the humanoid half held its blade high the snake's neck and head that errupted from its back bared long and poisonous fangs at its foe. "I have three of these on the field," 'Malik' was saying, the two other tablets revealing similar monsters as wicked blades gleamed before them, "So you had best be re-thinking your earlier boasts..." Gh...

These... These traps...

Trap... Monsters? _Monsters_ , he shouted in his mind, swallowing as the snakes hissed before him. He hate, hate, hated..!

Damn it he growled to himself, how could he fall right into this guy's trap? ...Again?

Seriously, after all that, he was facing... Alright...

Alright the blond told himself with a swallow, he had to calm down. He still had a chance here after all, a decent enough chance no matter how small... He just needed to think. "Alligator Sword goes int' d'fense mode," Katsuya decided with a swallow, the Fairy Box and monster both vanishing as the later was sealed into his tablet. The carving faced the field almost dully as he grabbed his next card, swallowing before continuing on. Now then. Next was... "I'll also place one card face down," he announced, the blank tablet arising at his side as Katsuya paled.

Scapegoat was in there... It would help him at least long enough to get around these trap monsters by gathering tribute monsters, or so he'd hope... If he was lucky there wasn't a card preventing that on the field. And now... "End turn!"

It didn't take a genius to know what would happen next. ' _The Embodiments of Apophis attack,_ ' he heard over the field, each of the twisted naga-like beasts hissing in response. But as the Scapegoats prepared to activate, so did another of 'Malik's cards. ' _And in addition_ ,' the blond heard faintly as his opponent struck, ' _I discard one card to activate Magic Jammer._ ' His opponent seemed to only mutter these words as the trap at his side carved out, the stone crumbling into dust before flying across to coat the scapegoat's tablet. With the field now free of obstacles, the scapegoat's stone slowly crumbling in on itself, the Embodiments continued to drive forward- their opponent biting his lip as he witnessed their strike.

The first one charged the rocket warrior, blade cutting the semi-robotic beast in two as pieces of scrap fell to the ground. The Rocket Warrior was mute, but it was plain to see just how much terror was to be had when the violet monster was the last thing he saw. The second sliced at the defense mode tablet however, stone and dust flying back at him in the wind as he was forced to duck and shield his eyes. And finally, as the dust cleared he could feel a small pin-prick of pain...

" _Little 'ancient',_ " he heard the hissing monster mutter, a blade held against his forehead so closely that a drop of blood now ran down his face. Katsuya swallowed as his head was slowly brought back to attention, the sword turning just slightly as the tiny cut on his brow grew. " _Conssssssider this warning of what is yet to come..._ " Warning warning warning, they were all 'warning' him, but what was so special about-

"Sfff! Ghn-!" The blond bit back a shout, grabbing at his arm as needle like fangs bore into his flesh and pulled out. The Embodiment's snake head had struck quickly, the target having been distracted by the words of its human head. Whatever venom was in the monster's teeth stopped the bleeding despite the wound now being an ugly blue-black beneath the shirt, thankfully enough. But it was that same venom that was now putting spots in his vision, and as the snakes returned to their side he found himself at his knees. "Ngh..." His breathing was becoming difficult... The wind was feeling more intense... "Poison..."

He probably should have been thankful that the words were lost to the winds but as he attempted to move his shaking arm toward his deck, it seemed he was giving off a different idea. Though in hindsight, if his head wasn't stuffed with poison and dust he'd probably have tried to forfeit to the remaining nineteen hundred points on his cleared field.

"Jonouchi!" Mai shouted from the side, arms crossed. The blond only barely managed to turn his head, pale and clammy skin likely attributed to the wind. Her face was twisted into a stern frown, arms crossed as she looked up to the field. "Just what happened to 'fifteen turns'?" Katsuya didn't answer for a moment, instead glancing back to the field. Well... That was true, there were still at least seven turns left... So he supposed the poison couldn't kill him just yet but... "You have a fight to win," the woman at the sides continued angrily, "Don't just toss your chances away by forfeiting like a coward!" He wasn't-

"Hey!" a second voice called out, Ryuzaki cupping his hands as he glared. "The only reason I'm watching you is because I figure you'll actually get a shot at the finals!" the boy shouted angrily. "So get on your feet, moron!" Ryuzaki was quickly answered with a low growl from the side, the others jumping at what likely seemed to be fairly uncharacteristic rage.

"Keichi... That is my brother you're talking about!"

"Ehhh..." The boy was silenced fairly quickly, though his friend took a few steps forward to look up at where her brother had begun to collapse.

"Nihan..." Shizuka had more to say..? The girl had a calm and reassuring smile on her face, Ryuzaki's jacket hanging limply on her shoulders as she spoke. "Before I pulled my bandages off I had to walk around blind," she began with a swallow, "With nothing but darkness around all the time. But even though I couldn't see or hear you," the girl continued almost proudly, "Just knowing that you worried about me gave me the courage to take them off! Nihan... You gave me a light to look forward too," Shizuka announced, her expression brightening as her brother stared. "A light in the darkness! So give me another one, right now in this darkness you see here!" Shi... Shizuka...

Ryuzaki turned to look incredulously at his friend, head tilted somewhat as he stared. "...A light in the darkness?"

"Keichi," the girl growled, " _I-am-warning-you_..." A light in the darkness... Even his opponent seemed to be moved by those words.

He'd be a pretty big failure of a brother if he didn't respond to them. Katsuya's vision swam as he pulled himself to his feet, faint cheers and shouts meeting his ears as he stood. Numb... His arm had gone somewhat numb, and he could feel stares on his back and side. For the moment the snake-bite was hidden by his t-shirt sleeve, but just barely. If anyone looked under that sleeve, he'd have a hell of a time explaining.

For the moment however, he brought his hand back down from his shoulder to stare across the field with his hand at his side. A light... In the darkness... Ryuzaki had a point, it was corny but...

It still had meaning. "I have a question," Katsuya's opponent asked, the blond weakly raising his head to stare across the field challengingly. "This tournament," the man continued with somewhat narrowed eyes, "Why did you enter?"

"To keep a promise," he answered immediately, the response coming smooth and quickly as 'Malik' stared. To keep an important promise that he wouldn't give up on... No matter what. This man across from him...

What was his real name he wondered to himself, eyes narrowing further as he stared. Who was this guy? Even if he hadn't seen Malik's face, he'd seen his build and height. The 'real' Malik was shorter, and much more slim. This wasn't that man though, not him... He didn't even act like him, the voice and mannerisims were completely wrong. So what was his name?

He found himself shaking the questions from mind instead, staring across the field as flashes of the earlier matches of the day came to mind. This man...

Was a 'duellist'. "I've met lots 'f people in th's tournament who wanted t' know th' answer to tha' question," Katsuya found himself muttering, wind battering against his numbed arm. "An' I gave 'm all th' same answer. I'm gonna keep tha' promise," the blond continued with a shout, "I can't lose here!" He could hear the other Yugi from the side, in his ghost-like form... Shouting out that same riddle he knew so well, the 'friendship' riddle...

"...If you're a duelist," 'Malik' asked plainly, again pulling Katsuya from his thoughts, "Shouldn't you know when a turn around is impossible?" Impossible?

"Heh! Even if I 'should'," he spat with narrowed eyes, "It doesn' mean I surrender... I'm still standin'," Katsuya growled viciously. "An' I'm fightin' 'till my last breath!" And that was all that mattered! Impossible... He didn't know the meaning! "It's my turn!" he shouted with renewed strength, drawing his next card. "I'll play two cards face down, an' summon th' Swordsman 'f Landstar in d'fense mode," he announced, the tablet carving itself out before sitting dormant. The shield across the stone shimmered just dully in the light, the two new cards sitting blankly at its sides.

Katsuya's opponent stared across the field, nonetheless returning to his near mute form of play as he deemed the blond a non-threat. "The embodiments attack," he stated plainly, arms crossed as he waited for the defense. The snakes charged forward as the blond activated the stone's magic, face tight with severity and determination.

"Act'vate th' spell 'Foolish Burial'!" he shouted, "Sendin' a card int' yer graveyard. An' after tha'," the blond announced, the first tablet reduced to dust on the wind as a familiar cloaked 'boy' charged from the next one's stone, "Graverobber!" The little robber did not charge the field as he normally did, instead holding his hands and 'tugging' at the dust on the air as the Emboidments froze. "I'm pullin' tha' card outta th' grave... And th' card I picked an' put there," he continued loudly, the dust on the air forming an immense tablet at his side, "Was this! Psycho Shocker!"

Thunder clapped in the air as the card was set on the field, the tall and robed android's figure cutting itself from stone as the rest of his field cleared. Smoke filled the tablet in almost a pillar like formation, the Psycho Shocker stepping forward from the stone to leer at the field with crossed arms. With a single wave of the android's hand the Embodiments of Apophis were destroyed, the traps rendered useless in the monster's sight. And in addition to the Psycho Shocker...

He also had a few other cards in his hand. A smirk came over his face as 'Malik' scowled, the blond drawing his next card and setting it on the field. "Heh... An' b'fore it's done, I summon th' Battle Warrior in attack mode!" he called out, yet another, smaller tablet appearing at the side as he did so. Blue smoke poured through the quick to appear carving, a futuristically armed man stepping out in angered silence. "Plus, I move Lan'star int' attack mode! An' now tha' yer traps are useless," the blond continued viciously, the swordsman at his side spinning his blade with a nod, "They all attack d'rectly! GO!"

It was strange seeing 'Malik' speak through the resulting explosion. As the two smaller monsters set their fists and blades through the man's form, Psycho Shocker released a blast of energy that cloaked his side of the field in electricity completely. Landstar's blade should have cut through his torso, Battle Warrior's fists should have left internal wounds to his stomach, Psycho Shocker's should have thrown him against the temple... And yet he supposed he should have been used to it really, after all he'd seen through this game.

'Malik' merely stood through the attacks, just as everyone else had after all, the man narrowing his eyes as the explosion slowly cleared. "I must congratulate you," he said clearly, Katsuya narrowing his eyes in response. "Even a weak man will struggle to claim his honor after all... And that attack was an incredible turn around." It was, wasn't it? But coming from the guy pretending to be 'Malik'...

Well. If he hadn't figured him out before... "...'Malik' wouldn' say that," he stated plainly, watching his opponents eyes narrow with suspicion. Plain and simple.

'Malik' however seemed to realize that pressing that subject would be a bad idea, instead drawing his next card. "Hn... It's my turn again," the man responded, setting a card on the field. Rather than stone arising from the ground however blinding lights tore from the air, resembling a series of stars in the sky. The 'stars' grew larger, and soon enough each one was falling forward to embed themselves in the field, the light forming a series of blades that stood a few stories above both of them. "I play the swords of revealing light," 'Malik' announced clearly, arms crossed as he frowned. "I will not lose here!" The swords...

Katsuya narrowed his eyes momentarily, nonetheless drawing his next card as the field was illuminated to near blinding proportions. Alright... So he couldn't attack. He could still build an army and so long as the Psycho Shocker stood there, the traps would be useless. He had nothing to fear...

He just had to keep chugging forward! "Battle Warrior 's sacrificed t' summon th' Legendary Fisherman!" he announced with a shout, the monster erupting with his tablet in a torrent of water as his card was replaced with another.

The stone washed blank before carving its new image, the rush of water splashing to the ground as the dark skinned and heavily scarred man adjusted the grip on his spear to look around. " _A battle above the skies?_ " the replacement questioned, his whale tucked safely away in the tablet's stone as he appeared to Katsuya's side. The man appeared to be staring with awe, as though in disbelief as his summoner laughed quietly under his breath.

"An' th' seas," the blond muttered with a smirk, gaining a rather blank stare for a brief moment before a roaring laugh erupted through the field, unheard to all but himself.

" _Hahaha! The words of a true fisherman!_ " the fisherman boasted, his summoner shaking his head. " _Let's finish this battle with all we have!_ " Hear hear! But...

He didn't fish damn it... Ahhh whatever.

A sudden cold chill came over the air, a feeling of dread and death overpowering the field as the blond's cheer was pulled away. Katsuya turned toward where 'Malik' had drawn his card, the man staring at it with horror filled eyes as the feeling intensified. Dead...

Dead, dead, dead...

The skies had darkened and the winds had fallen flat, as though the very life of the duel had been sucked from the air. The card in 'Malik's hand was so clearly not a card but why, and how...

How could a 'fake card' instill this feeling? "This next card," 'Malik' announced, swallowing as he looked forward, "Will be your undoing." Hesitation was evident in the man's eyes, clear enough that those around had fallen silent as they stared with questioning gazes. And yet 'Malik' went through with his actions anyways, setting a card on the disk and not once looking away from his opponent. "I seal a card within the ark of the temple," he said plainly, the ark in question appearing to 'shudder' as its former gold sheen faded to a dull and haunted glow. "And end my turn." A 'sealed' card...

Katsuya swallowed, nonetheless relieved as the feeling of death more or less vanished from the field. His turn again...

And there was no way he'd have been able to fight through that after all. The blond drew his next card, setting it on the field without looking as another was released from the disk-system in response. "I play Monster Reborn," he announced as the tablet's green light flooded the field, "Bringin' Alligator Sword back! An' usin' it an' th' Swordsman 'f Lan'star," he continued clearly, the Alligator only just jumping from his tablet as smoke filled the field. "I summon this!" Please don't hate him, please don't hate him... The sacrifices seemed to be fine with it, they were both giving him confident nods and thumbs up but... "Th' Insect Queen!"

Please don't hate him.

The tablet arose behind him as the monsters before them were pulled by webbed strings into their stones, the tablets crumbling to dust under the pressure of the cocoons. The image of the fierce queen arose on the stone behind him, deep and powerful hissing erupting in his ears as the dust of the sacrifices formed the smoke that pulled the Queen into existence. " _I see you wish to fight, little imago..._ " Yes...

Yes that would be good he thought with a swallow, paling as the monster curled around him semi-protectively. Clawed and armored limbs clacked and crunched as they folded onto the ground around him, Psycho Shocker and the Fisherman both staring rather blankly as the Queen smiled. The blond shuddered violently as it nuzzled the side of his face, a snake-like tongue rasping the edges of the wound that Apophis' Embodiments granted.

" _But you should not fight injured... Be healed child_ ," the Queen went on, the blond before her closing his eyes and biting his lip. " _I will fight with you..._ " Okay... Okay that was great, just stop licking him and-

Uhhhh... Wait, healed? A sudden feeling of relief spread over his arm, the blond lightly tapping the wound as his eyes widened. Healed... His arm had-

The wound was gone! "My turn!" 'Malik' abruptly shouted, ripping the blond from his thoughts as the Insect Queen reared to watch the field. "First," the man announced, "The 'Seal of Selket', followed by 'Cup of the Sealed Soul'..." Two more spells? Wait, what were these? "By sending the Seal to the grave," 'Malik' explained to his opponent, the blond narrowing his eyes, "I summon to you a monster of God-like proportions, with a power that far surpasses your own..." Aw hell that couldn't be... "The Mythical Beast!" 'Malik' roared through the air, a large goblet arising from the two stone tablets to release a shadowed liquid orb, "'Selket', the Scorpion!" S-Selket..?

How ironic, his stupid flash thing was telling him it was the God of poison and healing, that was-

That was just mean.

And awwwww shit, this thing was looking more like a demon than a goddess. Hissing met the air, the Insect Queen spitting threateningly as a shadowed seal appeared in the orb above the goblet. The seal, an image of a scorpion, broke into pieces as the goblet as well crumbled, claws piercing the skin-like orb before breaking through. Large and bulbous eyes met the field as wings and a series of six additional hand-bearing legs came forward, immense and toothy mouth opening wide as a screech pierced its opponent's ears. The blackened scorpion bore the eye of Wdjat across its back, and above it on its tail a dangerous and poison-dripping barb pointed toward him. The clawed arms were long enough that they reached over the crowd to cling to the railings of the air-ship's arena, clawed forelimbs clacking threateningly as its wings beat the ground. But it was far from the end...

For as the monster hissed its warning, sound indescribable in any way, the box it guarded again began to emanate the dangerous feeling of cold it had before. The already dulled glow seemed to fade even further, and the box itself seemed to be more stony than even the temple around it. "I am getting ahead of myself," 'Malik' was saying as this feeling filled the air, a few blades of light vanishing from sight as they had been throughout the duel after their arrival. "For as powerful as Selket is, she is nothing compared to that which has been sealed in the temple behind me... Namely the great God of the Sun, the Dragon 'Ra'!" R... R...

RA? But it couldn't be... Besides the fact that this wasn't Malik, it just couldn't! 'Ra' was a life-bringer his mind told him, the blond again ignoring the origin of the knowledge he knew he shouldn't have had. Ra was the 'sun', 'life', the 'creator', it didn't bring the stench of death with it! Not even when it was causing it!

Yet as Selket continued to hiss before him Katsuya found himself swallowing a wave of fear, the presence in the box still sending shivers down his spine. Not much time left now... The monster before him was more powerful than anything in his deck, and if he didn't draw any of his usual 'stat-control' cards he'd be screwed. His monsters would slowly be picked off and he'd be left defenseless. And this feeling...

This dread and fear, a fear far surpassing any he'd felt before even comparing the feeling to that of what had happened under the Millennium Rod... It was a feeling that seemed to simply have no reason for existence, no fuel other than of fear itself. It was a feeling that was numbing all of his senses, leaving only wide and unblinking eyes to stare at the monster before him.

_'Selket is a ritual summoned beast,_ ' he could hear his opponent mutter, the words barely blurring in with that of the crowd. ' _She cannot attack this turn..._ ' And while the last of the swords would vanish this turn, 'allowing' him to counter attack...

Despite him drawing a card, he couldn't help but be paralyzed in fear. All he could do was move the monster's cards into defense, eyes shivering as they looked over the monster. "All monsters enter defense mode," he rasped, staring into Selket's large and inhuman eyes as he swallowed. The monsters on his field however didn't move into their stone, merely looking down at the blond with worried eyes.

" _Little imago_ ," the Queen hissed, lowering her head to a protective position. " _We will be your shield... Have no fear..._ " Gh... Hn...

Easy for her to say damn it! "...Pass," Katsuya barely forced out, choking on the single word as Selket screeched.

The demon before him acted immediately, with her master's words barely piercing the sound of his rushing blood in his ears. Worried mutterings came from the side as the blond stared, the monster rushing past him to strike at the first of the beings on the field. "Selket's effect activates," 'Malik' was saying through the curtain of white noise, "When she destroys a monster, she may devour it to absorb half its attack." And as those on the side grew pale with the knowledge, Katsuya found himself growing even more so. It was not because of Selket's increase in power however, nor was it the sheer unmoving terror locking him in place. For while his friends merely saw jaws close over the Psycho Shocker he could see the saliva drip from the beast's mouth, hear the grunting screams from the monster as it was lifted by its torso and head before being swallowed whole. He could hear the crunching bones as the monster was swallowed and crushed by the strong muscles of the esophagus, and he was forced to watch as Selket's body began to shift...

Two sets of its eight legs snapped and folded at the sides, the bottom two extending into legs. The demon's wings moved somewhat up the monster's body as it reared, resembling some twisted, bipedal monster from beyond the gates of hell. And as the monster gave a ferocious roar Katsuya couldn't tear his eyes away, staring at the immense winged demon before him. It changed... It even changed in reaction to the things it had swallowed...

And it was his turn again. Another card was drawn, another card that would do him no good, and another card to add into his hand. "...Pass," he muttered in a barely audible tone as he shook, the Insect Queen huddling around the blond while Selket approached. Its size was enough to take even the towering Queen from the field, the insect's body snatched from behind by enormous clawed pinchers as Selket opened her wide and seemingly jawless mouth.

The Queen however, was eaten from back to front; and as the blond stared up with horror, eyes welling with tears in the fear that held his jaw shut he could hear and see the insect speak before her head disappeared beyond rows of teeth. " _Turn away, little imago... Turn away,_ " she said through the slices that each tooth created on her skin, " _And avenge this loss..."_ Scared...

Scared, he was scared damn it, there was nothing he could do in the face of this! And no matter what, all he could do was watch as 'Selket' appeared to become more humanoid in form, blackened scales conforming to a woman's figure from the torso as it stared forward with bug-like eyes, size seemingly increasing to create the illusion of a smaller 'mouth' despite its enormous size. Why was this feeling..?

Another card drawn...

Another useless draw.

Another card added to his hand as he seemingly moved on autopilot.

"Pass," he whispered with a choke, closing his eyes with a wince as the Legendary Fisherman was tossed to the air with a shout by Selket's tail. And as the man fell into her gaping maw, mouth so large that he never even touched the sides of the throat, the scales peeled back. And within seconds a bizarre mix of woman and arachnid was standing tall above the field, dark skin gracing the air where scales no longer sat, gold and flaming eyes now human in shape as they stared downward.

This was Selket.

This was the monster's power, and this was the power that was dwarfed by what was in that 'ark'. This...

This was a 'god' whose power, unlike the 'top three' was available to more than one. And this monster...

Could now speak. " _Are you afraid... Boy?_ " This thing... Selket's grin was wide and almost psychotic in appearance, clawed arms and wings stretching from her back as humanoid ones sat at her sides. " _Do you fear my power... BOY?_ "

"I can't watch this any more," Shizuka was muttering, holding her head from the side as her brother's hearing abruptly returned. "I can't... I'm feeling sick," she choked, worry beginning to fill the blond on the arena, "I..."

Suddenly that feeling of dread and fear was gone, replaced completely by that same worry and by the will he'd had at the start of the match. "...Shizuka," he muttered somewhat weakly, his sister looking up with worried eyes. The blond found himself swallowing as he looked to the woman, shaking his head despite the enormous monster standing before him. "Don'... Don' go Shizuka... I know... I know I'm on my las' legs," he continued quietly, "But until th' very end, ev'n if I lose..." Katsuya paused, shaking himself as he raised his voice to a more audible level. Light... "You found yer light, righ'?" he asked, Shizuka swallowing in response as she stared. "Well t' me," he went on with a weak smile, "Yer my light... Until th' very end, I need yah... So please," the blond whispered, his sister still staring up in silence, "Until then..." Stay by his side...

He didn't like this feeling of dread in his stomach, stay by his side...

Because so long as he thought about his friends and family rather than the beast before him, he might stand a chance against the fear and horror growing before him.

"Why do you still fight?" 'Malik' asked from across the field, voice barely escaping the merged shouts of encouragement from the side. "You are as you said, on your last legs... And the 'fifteen turns' you boasted of are nearly at their end," the man continued, narrowing his eyes. "So... Why don't you surrender?"

Katsuya drew his next card, closing his eyes momentarily as he winced. Nothing. He had nothing... Another card he couldn't use, another spell he couldn't bring up for a defense. But even so. "B'cause I'd be a piss-poor duelist if I ran jus' b'cause I was losin'," the blond stated plainly, hand lowering to his side. "I face my battles t' the end," he continued, swallowing as 'Selket' stared from above before moving on, "No matter what happens... Tha's how I play. Make your move," he said almost coldly, narrowing his eyes as his teeth ground together. "Because no matter what, I'll know I wasn' fightin' 'Malik'... An' I think I c'n take this loss with a pretty clear head if I keep that in mind." At this 'Malik' again frowned, the blond across from him continuing with a darkened smirk. "It's weird," he muttered, having a feeling he knew the reason behind initial thoughts on 'Malik's appearance, "I had this feelin' from b'fore we even got on this ship... That it wasn' you. That y' weren' who y' said y' were. Maybe tha's why my head's been clearer than normal," he continued as the smirk briefly grew into a grin, "I'm abou' ready t' toss th' real 'Malik' off th' side 'f this ship!" However, that would probably get him tossed off as well... Eh. "B'fore I lose," Katsuya continued on, the smirk losing its dark tone as he spoke, "I want y' t' know... On th's las' turn, I didn' know who'd win 'r lose. Jus' that it'd end... An' even with tha'," he added with a cheery tone, ignoring the still growing wave of fear, "This was one 'f th' best matches I've ever had. I don' know what kinda reason you've got f'r pr'tendin' t' be Malik... But you're nothin' like tha' bastard!" he said coldly, the smirk dying as he held his arms out in challenge. "Yer a 'real duelist'... So make yer move."

There was no answer however.

Instead albeit only briefly, the man's eyes appeared clouded. They faded out in a manner almost similar to when Yugi spoke to his other half, the man's dark skin appearing to pale with whatever words he received. As his eyes regained focus however he pulled out the false-rod, holding it forward and speaking with an ease that far betrayed the sudden paleness he'd developed. "Only the 'real' Malik wields the Millennium Rod," he said clearly, the staff barely shining under the windless and clouded sky. "Yet you doubt my identity?" Yes.

He did. "...That ain't th' Millennium Rod." The ship appeared to fall silent with the flat tone Katsuya used, even Selket standing stock still with narrowed eyes. There had been no hesitation, not even slightly...

And if the blond had bothered to look to the crowd rather than holding his steady glare he'd have seen fear and rage both flash through one of the spectator's eyes. "You still doubt me?" the man muttered, eyes appearing to shift off to the crowd at the side. A look of apparent submission came over him with that glance, and turning back to his opponent he bowed his head. "I see... In that case," he shouted clearly, "Using the power of Selket, of the three monsters absorbed... Along with a tribute of half my lifepoints," the man continued on through the windless air, "I will offer the ultimate proof! I break the seal of the Ark," he announced with a roar, Selket slowly burning and rotting away with a mourning scream. "AND I SUMMON GOD!"

Fires filled the air as Selket's skin and scales peeled away into black dust mixed with blood and bone. Above formed a pillar of solid shadow, clouds converging into an almost hurricane like spiral but despite the formations the wind continued to remain absent from the air. No storm could be heard, no thunder hit the skies as faded and almost 'black' lightening pierced and singed the air. And as Katsuya stared forward with terrified eyes the lid of the ark merely crumbled into piles of locusts before scattering into the skies.

'Not-Malik' was talking right now.

So was everyone else as they stared at what was likely to them an incredible summoning, their words absorbed completely by the thick and mantled silence created by the insects that swarmed the air. 'God' had been summoned, that much was evident by the form escaping the 'Ark'.

But if this was God, it wasn't happy.

The clouds above swirled viciously, locusts swarming as the temple and ark both fell apart. More insects arose to the air, clouding into place above the airship and from them God's face began to form. An enormous, eagle-like face, with eyes burning as red as the hottest points of the sun, and thunder sounding through an otherwise muted sky. " **You...** " Katsuya swallowed as he broke into a sweat, the 'black' sun roaring with rage as it hovered in place, the monster's face and skull clearly as large if not larger than that of Osiris'. " **Who DARES... WHO DARES to create a FALSE image with my NAME,** " the God snarled, voice reverberating through the sky with enough force to shake the people below. " **Who DARES to toss back all HONOR for such ACTIONS? Such FOOLS who DARE to STAND before ME Mere MORTALS,** " Ra spat, " **SPECS of LIFE! And you think a FALSE tribute will win you FAVOR? That a FALSE IMAGE will summon ME to your AID?** " A piercing, raptoral screech hit the air, those below unable to hear the words of 'God' as they stood before it. Katsuya swallowed as the 'black' God stared down to the field, 'Not-Malik' now holding the Rod forward.

"Don' do it," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head as 'Ra' continued to snarl and screech from above. "Y'll kill yerself!" he shouted, ignoring the obvious confusion from those on the sides, "Don'-"

"Attack," the man was shouting, the others on the field watching with baited breaths to see the result of the order. "ATTACK!"

" **Hohoho... And the MORTAL still believes he has my CONTROL,** " the monster 'laughed', toothed beak opening with a rumble as still more thunder cracked through the air. " **Then let me OPEN your EYES, and the EYES of OTHERS!** " Open the eyes-

Oh hell, it could do that? It could make everyone see...

What he was..? "You idiot... That ain't Ra!” he found himself shouting, gasps coming from the side as they slowly watched what was a holographic beast dye itself black in their eyes. "I already told yah I knew y' weren' Malik!" he continued with an almost desperate tone, the man before him looking back up at Ra with shock. "Why did y' have t' be so..."

_'Ra is turning black,_ ' the crowd muttered, expressions filled with fear and confusion both. _'It's not real, but how..._ ' How?

Because it was real...

" **You wish for an ATTACK** ," Ra raged from above, " **Then SO BE IT! This is a mere TASTE of MY POWER!** " Thunder pealed across the deck, Katsuya turning up to look at Ra with a swallow. His opponent knew he had no control... He knew he was a dead man, and he had his head bowed, lightning striking the field itself as it singed and blackened the thankfully grounded metal. And as a single strike ran through the man's form, his head was still bowed in apology and shame.

But as the man fell to the ground before him he felt words come to mind again, passing his lips outside his control at the volume of a mere whisper that was blocked by the thunder around him. " _Great God of all he travels, who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed-_ "

" **We have an ANCIENT among us!** " Ra boasted, the locusts appearing to grin from his form as Katsuya was pulled from his daze and back into reality. Maybe it was the surrounding buzz, or perhaps shock had rendered them deaf, but no one could hear Katsuya as he stepped forward and swallowed, nor could they hear the words that Ra held from their ears. " **A RARE sight... And yet YOUR ties are not of ROYAL blood,** " the dragon continued seriously, mouth barely open as he spoke. " **YOU are yet MORTAL, however GIFTED... YOU are not yet FORGIVEN for you ACTIONS!** " Forgiven..?

For his 'actions'? "An' those are?" he found himself asking, looking up with slightly narrowed eyes despite the terror filling him right now.

" **Hn!** " Despite the retort Ra appeared more amused than angered, though his voice held the same incredulous tone it had from his summoning. **"YOU have POWER,** " the God announced with a sneer, " **And yet YOU hold it BACK from all you KNOW, from even the young KING, from HE WHO WILL FINISH WHAT WAS BEGUN. You DOUBT the GIFT you have been GIVEN,** " the dragon continued with a fearsome shout, " **And you QUAKE in the sight of what can easily be DEFEATED!** "

"Selket?" the blond questioned, the locusts buzzing in rage at what was apparently far from the correct answer.

" **WRONG,** " the God thundered, voice accented by strong peals of booming claps in the sky as lightning continued to fire at the ground. " **You who BEARS the BLOOD OF ANCIENTS.. ACCEPT this TEST** ," he commanded with rage, " **And LEARN from your TRIALS before even THINKING of FACING the likes of MYSELF ... We WILL meet AGAIN,** " Ra roared, the locusts filling the air as thunder struck the ground, Katsuya staring in fear as the dragon's visage melted back into the swarm. " **Believe me when I say, we will MEET again!** "

Sound all at once returned as the insects flew around, shouts filling the air before blinding light filled his eyes... Before pain filled the every fiber of his being, with the scent of singed hair and cloth hitting his nostrils. "Gnh... NGH... GHAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" A voice...

He could hear...

" _Me...rea..._ " And following the light, the pain, and the voice...

There was nothing but darkness.


	23. Pillow Talk

Panic. Chaos. Terror.

Just about everything that could describe the emotions of a war-zone was synonymous with the current situation, and she hated every single bit of it. All it did was send her thoughts back to the place they were flying toward, reminding her of the secondary purpose of the tournament. Who cared about the white mouse plan; as Jonouchi had said, that had clearly been a counterfeit.

And whatever virus it resulted in managed to mix in with the flash thunderstorm horrifically, with sparks flying from the arena as people screamed. "Stay off the field!" Isono was shouting at the top of his lungs, a number of Jonouchi's friends quite obviously fighting the urge to ignore him. The man was nonetheless doing his best to hold a semblance of control over the situation, hands held high in a blocking gesture. "The arena will not only be hot from constant lightning strike but also a probable target for more to come," he warned, swallowing a wave of unease as the crowd more or less soured. The other Yugi had even come out to replace his lighter half, a glare fixed on the field and Isono both. "For your own safety," the man protested as the crowd roared, cut off at last by the shouts.

"Screw the safety," Honda snarled, pointing a finger to the arena above as he spat. "What about the people on the field!" Otogi nodded at this, eyes narrowed. "If we can't get up there then what will your doctors do? Wait until they're dead?"

At that statement the shouts again merged into a collective, Seto's brother looking up in worry as the screams continued. "Nee-sama," Mokuba whispered from the side, eyes quite clearly filled with as much fear as those on the field. "What do we..." The woman flashed the small radio at her side, voice curt and quick as she held her gaze on the stricken victims on the field.

"The doctors have been called," she muttered, her brother nodding as the crowd turned on them. "They're waiting for the fail safes to cancel on the lift."

Again, her brother nodded, opening his mouth only to be cut off by the closest member of the angry crowd. "What now?" Mai was shouting angrily, hands balled into fists as she turned on the siblings with wide eyes. "Just what do you plan to do now? Wait?" As much as she detested it...

Yes. "Both competitors still have 200 lifepoints left," Isono announced with a swallow, barely managing to recite the competition protocol under the current pressure. "As they are currently caught in a draw," he explained with a slightly wavering tone, "They have five minutes left to stand, with both either continuing the duel or a single competitor simply winning the match by default. Should neither competitor rise, they will have until the fourth match to wake up for a re-match... Should they remain unconscious afterwards," he continued, looking over to Seto almost nervously as he again coughed, "Well..."

"Both competitors will be disqualified," the woman muttered lowly, a crowd of shouts coming in response. And the tournament would move on...

Yugi's voice had been easy enough to pick out from the crowd after that point, the boy having turned with disbelieving eyes before getting cut off by others in the crowd. "Disqualif-"

"Just how far did you think this through," Ryuzaki roared incredulously, "A plan for competitors falling unconscious mid-match? There shouldn't even be a risk of that!"

"Are you fucking serious?!" came an additional shout, glares filling the side of the field as Seto more or less ignored them.

"N-Namu-kun," Shizuka's worried voice asked, cutting through the crowd with more ease than a hot blade. "Are... Are you alright..?"

Seto's eyebrow raised at the last one, silence coming over them as the crowd turned to 'Namu' in question. The blond teen, who had already gained somewhat suspicious looks and comments from the staff was now clutching his head, grunting in pain as he fell back against the railing. Ragged breathing was meeting the air, and as the boy slumped to his knees he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Shizuka was rubbing the boy's shoulder only to be ignored, even pushed back. The girl found herself stepping back with a nervous swallow in response, sharing a look with her friends as the crowd stared the worriedly.

"Ngh..." The sounds continued on, the others unable to tell the source of the pain. "Nggh..." Whatever it was could very well have been completely psychological for all she knew, but as the sounds continued the woman found herself narrowing her eyes.

And then suddenly they stopped, slowing down as the blond's breathing appeared to briefly calm. "Ah- 'Malik' is standing!" Ryuzaki abruptly shouted, having glanced toward the field while 'Namu' collapsed. The man appeared to be pulling himself with a desperate gleam in his eyes, reaching toward the crowd with worry despite the obvious fatigue. "He's getting up..!"

"What the hell is this, an endurance competition," they could hear Otogi mutter, the teen following the others stares as they were pulled toward 'Malik'. Hn! Her thoughts exactly. Nonetheless, rules were rules...

And while a feeling of absolute loathing was rising up with the man on the field, she would just have to hope that the still motionless bodyguard of hers lived through the mess. "Well! As he is the first to stand," Isono was muttering with a cough as the storm died around them, 'Malik' still struggling to his knees as the wind returned to its regular state, "The winner of the match is-"

With a sudden thump 'Malik' again collapsed, a panicked shout coming from 'Namu' at the same moment. Shouts immediately filled the air again, Shizuka turning with wide eyes as pained coughing came from the field. "Ahhh! Ahhhhhh...!" Fingers dug into the blond's skull, the teen curling in on himself as he screamed. "AAAAAHHHH!"

"Namu-kun... Namu-kun," Shizuka shouted worriedly, hurrying over to hesitantly reach out to the teen. "I need you to look up," she continued, her hand swiped away with a growling shout as she stepped back. "Namu-kun," the girl 'begged', "Tell me what's wrong..!"

Shizuka's requests however went unheard, and rather than help with her questioning the others were busy staring at the field. "Damn it," Honda muttered with a wince, wind passing through with an almost agreeable howl. "If Jonouchi doesn't wake up soon..."

The message the statement left unsaid was more than understood, those around the arena biting their tongues before doing the only thing they could for the moment. "Come on!" Ryuzaki shouted almost angrily at the field, cupping his hands as the crowd more or less divided into worried groups or cheering ones. "Wake up you moron!" he snarled, Shizuka and Yugi both ignoring the insult to stare nervously at 'Namu'. "WAKE UP!"

"Katsuya-nii!" Mokuba shouted from the side, joining in as well. The boy bit back a choke, leaning against the stair railing as he continued. "Katsuya-nii, get up! Get up Katsuya-nii! Please... Just get up!" Get UP!

Despite the shouts however and despite the lift abruptly giving a loud 'whirr' sound as it came online, Jonouchi did not respond. The blond had been struck by lightning after all, and given the circumstances he had about as much chance as 'Malik' did. Possibly less she reminded herself, given the rather detailed report she'd received from the Doctor. Just what had that idiot gotten himself into...

Bruises on his stomach, cuts on his arm... Seto's hands clutched the railing tightly, her eyes narrowed into slits as she stared down upon the field. She...

She wanted him to wake up.

The shouts of the others were filling the air, and rather than mentally laugh or insult the cries she found herself wanting those cries to be answered. "Get up Jonouchi!" Honda was shouting, joined in by many of the others despite the crowd's 'division'.

"Jonouchi!" Anzu shouted worriedly, the lift opening at the side. "Come on! Come on!"

Wake up, Seto found herself muttering in her mind, fingers curling around the railing to dig into her palm. Wake up...

"Namu-kun," Shizuka was saying, turning from the field as another blood-curdling scream pierced the air. "Namu-kun, are you..."

"Ahhhhhhhhhgggghhh!" 'Namu's shouts were cut off by hurried footsteps, two guards and Doctor Syn both rushing forward with a board and 'box' of sorts both.

"Clear the sides," Kyouko could be heard shouting, "Paramedics coming through!" They were getting up to the arena...

Heading for 'Malik' first, but damn it all... That idiot...

Damn it...

Wake UP!

* * *

The first thing he could feel when his head cleared was sand. Rough, gritty sand, clinging to his clothes and hair. He was pretty sure it was sand at least. Given the rough grain that was biting into his skin, his mind deciding to not bother with to arguing that he'd been wearing jeans and not some sort of 'skirt' when he'd last closed his eyes. He couldn't even bring himself to question that fact for the moment, instead opting to ponder at how much he preferred the cloth of what he was wearing to the sand around him. It was far more comfortable for sure, though really there was no way he could be sure it was sand he was laying on...

Of course, he didn't seem to care either way at the moment.

He was too busy trying to wake up.

"Hey," a voice was shouting from the side, the teen slowly opening his eyes to squint at the blinding light they were met with. "Hey!" it continued, "Wake up! Come on mister," the young boy continued, his form a mere 'blur' in Katsuya's eyes at the moment. "Wake up!"

"Does this happen often?" he could hear a girl mutter, Katsuya groaning as he attempted to clear his vision. "Collapsing I mean..?"

The teen opted not to comment on that, instead squeezing his eyes shut as he winced in the face of the sun. Another boy, slightly younger than the first answered the girl, the blur that Katsuya's eyes opened to merely shrugging. "Kinda?" The other blurs seemed to stare, and the boy explained. "I know that while we were further north, he collapsed after finding out a Roman wanted one of his goats... Didn't help that we were in the delta at the time. He's lucky," the voice continued rather flatly, tone clearly filled with annoyance. "If he hadn't taught me about how to price them, I wouldn't have finished his sale... And we wouldn't have been able to get food."

Oh come on, they weren't that tight when it came to money, and his herd was-

Wait...

"Hnnng..." The teen frowned mentally, running his last few thoughts through his head. "...Goats..?" Seriously? Since when did he have goats..? And a herd of them at that, heck, who had herds at all? Katsuya slowly sat up, holding his head in one hand and wincing as his vision cleared. Alright...

As he struggled to support himself enough to sit, he could see the brown grains of sand around him. So he was right about that then, but...

What was with these people standing around him? (Hell, what was with the numerous woolly goats...) "Wha..." Katsuya shook himself, subconsciously grabbing a staff at his side before tilting his head. "...Kids..?" He was surrounded by...

Kids? "Wow," the girl he'd heard earlier said rather incredulously. "You really hit your head didn't you..."

The heavily covered girl's comment was strengthened by the boy beside her, darkened arms crossed as he shook his head. "Come on 'merea', you make a palace sale and you faint?" he asked with a wry scowl. "What are you a girl?" The nearest girl in question balked at this, pale skin just barely visible under the heavy shawl she wore around her shoulders.

"Hey! I'm right here Saraph!"

A snort was all she received in response, 'Saraph' merely smirking. "Yeah yeah yeah... This is coming from the 'amal'..."

"Ooooooghhh... I told you not to call me that!" The teen blinked, shaking his head as the two children continued to bicker. Alright... What the hell? He didn't want any fights breaking right after he woke up damn it, that wasn't-

Katsuya opened his mouth to speak, only to frown and look himself over as he pulled himself to his feet. "H... Heh..?" Tanned. He was... He was really tanned, like milk-chocolate shade of brown tan. He wasn't really sure that could even be called a tan, or...

Actually so was that kid now that he thought about it, his skin and Saraph's both a few shades darker from a majority of the passers by. There was probably some tanning involved. The teen shook himself, looking around at the small crowd of children that had developed around what were apparently his goats. Besides 'Saraph' (who was quite obviously the boy with a shirt in addition to his skirt) there was the cloaked little girl, a somewhat older boy in a white skirt of sorts, a younger girl with a similar skirt and-

...Uhhhh... "Hey mister?" the older boy asked, revealing himself as the 'first voice'. "You going to be alright? You've been staring at me for a while," he added with a slight frown, semi-long hair falling into his eyes as he tilted his head. Oh don't worry, Katsuya thought to himself, eyes remaining open and unblinking with silent shock. He wasn't staring at him... He was staring at the nude three year old on his back. The little girl appeared quite content to play with her 'steed's hair for the moment, and evidently, the nudity wasn't a problem.

At all. Heck, looking around he noted as clay-built buildings and neat wooden stalls were stored as 'normal' occurrences in his mind, the ladies walking past were carrying small children with absolutely nothing on so long as they were under four it looked like. Possibly older, but seeing how the 'middle sized' kid was wearing something...

Again the teen shook his head, eyes turning on the boy as he brushed the hair out of his eyes. For the moment, he just looked like some normal kid with hair otherwise lighter than most of the people around him but... Katsuya tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he pointed toward the tallest of the five children. "Dark... Magician..?" He...

He looked just like... The boy blinked, looking up with wide and clearly confused eyes as he adjusted his hold on the girl on his back. "Eh? Magic?" he asked, staring up in surprise. "I know I mentioned training but..."

"You're not allowed to talk about that I thought," the girl said with a frown, crossing her arms. Beside her, the smaller girl nodded, her own arms crossed in an almost adorable pout of agreement. "Didn't you try to hide in a pot when we spotted you levitating that fig Mahaad?"

The boy, 'Mahaad' it seemed, instantly flushed, bowing his head and turning away from the girl. "Gh- Well... It's not like I can make you forget or anything," he protested, the girl rolling her eyes as she sighed.

"You shouldn't just toss the idea away though," she muttered. "After all, if you can get in trouble for this..." Mahaad appeared to bite his lip, nodding furiously while Saraph watched curiously from the side.

"You know," he said somewhat idly, "I didn't even know magic existed until now..."

This gained a rather quick response from Mahaad, the boy abruptly turning with a red-faced scowl and retort. "Wha- Of course it does! Are you calling me a fraud!"

"I dunno," Saraph muttered with a shrug, "I mean... What do you mean by 'of course', it's not that hard to make a fig float! All you need is string and-"

"It was floating through magic, not string!"

"Yeah well lets see you prove it then!"

"I could make you float above a pit if you want!"

"Prove it!"

"Hey hey," the girl on his back asked, tugging somewhat at her friend's hair. "Mahaad, wha's ma'shik?" The young girl was summarily ignored, shouts continuing to bounce between the boy and Saraph. All this shouting... Katsuya rubbed his head, a feeling of annoyance growing as he looked over the children. Damn it...

"Alright! That's enough!" he shouted, face set into a scowl. The kids abruptly stopped arguing, turning to look up as Katsuya continued to glare. It was a feeling similar to when he'd been dreaming about Pegasus' mansion, the look on his face right now... Annoyed as he was, he didn't feel like scowling or shouting for the moment- and yet he was.

It was as though he wasn't controlling his own actions any more, as though they were predetermined, or even already done. As though this...

Was only a memory.

"Honestly..." Katsuya's body abruptly locked into the stance it had moved in, the teen unable to even blink on his own accord as he spoke. "Aren't you supposed to be from the palace yourself?" he found himself muttering, Mahaad bowing his head in apparent shame. "Yeah," he continued, nodding as he crossed his arms, "I recognize that face... Your father's one of the high-priests isn't he?"

Mahaad continued to flush, shaking somewhat as he spoke. "It... It's not that serious..!"

"Yeah right," Saraph muttered, "The closest thing I have to a royal relative is uncle Nehker, and he's not even my uncle..."

"And if you expect to see Nehker while we're here," Katsuya responded with a slight frown, "You'll behave; I promised your mother you wouldn't get into trouble while we were in the Northern areas," he continued warningly, "The village is too close. I can at least cover for you while we're in the south," he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Saraph appeared to ignore the last comment, instead balking as his smirk dropped for a more nervous expression. "H-Hey," he stuttered, "Not fair! I still want to see him, I still want too! You can't go back on your word!"

There was no response, Katsuya merely watching as Saraph continued to whine before being cut off. "Nehker?" Mahaad questioned with a slight frown, Saraph turning from his childish pleadings. "I think that's the name of one of the Pharaoh's astronomers..."

"H-Hah! That's right!" Saraph said with a proud grin. He brightened considerably at the chance to brag about the man he so looked up to, arms crossed as he laughed. "He was hired right out of the village, no questions asked," he boasted, the others shaking his head. "Why... His knowledge of the skies even surpasses you Priests!"

"Surpasses-" The older boy seemed to freeze in surprise momentarily, before narrowing his eyes. "Hmp! I doubt it," Mahaad said with a frown, the girls either shaking their heads or staring confusedly. Saraph opted to ignore the boy, instead continuing his former pleadings.

"So... So we're still going right?" the boy asked, turning up to look at his guide. "Come on," he continued, "You promised! Pleaaaaaase? Please please please ple-" Alright, that was it...

Katsuya laughed, grabbing a staff from the ground and walking forward despite the small nagging buzz that told him there was something important he needed to do. "We are," he said with a grin, "Don't worry... We'll be getting there before you can say 'due-'"

...Duel...

The teen stopped to abruptly find himself tripping forward, the path having thankfully cleared of children so that they could walk forward. 'Duel'...

Duel, that word, that word didn't exist here...

This...

Katsuya fell to his knees, wincing as a headache sprung up in the mental argument of what should and shouldn't be. "This isn' right," he found himself muttering, looking at his hand as he stared at the sand. The teen slowly closed his palm over a handful of sand, pulling himself to his feet and watching as the grains sifted between his fingers. Sand.

Dry, golden sand, in no way similar to the grains of Japan's beaches, and yet...

"This ain't righ'... Thi' 's..." Wrong.

It was wrong. The teen found himself narrowing his eyes, still staring at his now empty hand as the skin colour shifted between brown and white in a strange marbling fashion. " _But isn't it?_ " a voice asked, a collective of sounds filling his ears as the children stared up from the ground in silence.

Not a single one was the source, and as he stared he found himself shaking his head. And one by one they began to fade, Katsuya's eyes narrowing further while the building misted out of existence around him. "No," he muttered with a frown, as though already doubting himself. "It isn'..." He didn't know these kids...

And yet from what he knew in the back of his mind, from what he could 'remember'...

He did? " _They exist, and they do not exist,_ " the voice stated cryptically, sand around them falling into black and empty space. " _In another time,_ " the voices continued as his skin continued to 'fight' over its proper shade, " _You could say they were even your friends_." His friends...

Images of the others came to mind, images of Yugi, of Honda, of Seto and Mokuba...

The children he'd seen long since vanished from his mind, replaced by images of those he knew. "My friends..." Anzu, Otogi, Bakura, Mai... What happened a few moments ago he found himself asking himself, what... There was a comforting feeling around him, his body finally settling with keeping the somewhat pale shade of the typical Japanese.

As the feeling increased however he had to jump back, a stream of light brushing against his skin before snaking away to swim about him with the dozens more that filled the air. "W-What..." G-G-Ghosts! He was surrounded by gho-

" _We are here, and we are not here... We are your friends,_ " a voice whispered through a single and familiar tone synonymous to Honda's own to a near frightening extent, " _And your family,_ " a slightly younger woman's voice continued. " _We are all here,_ " they chorused in a crowd of familiar and unfamiliar tones both, " _Alive and dead..._ " Alive and...

Dead? "Wai'... So... I'm dead?" the blond muttered with a swallow, shaking his head as he stared toward the lit spirits. "I... died?" A sudden flash came to mind, and all at once the memories of what had been 'important' came back to mind. The lightning, the duel, Malik... Malik... _Malik_. Blond hair and a lavender vest came to mind, 'Namu's face twisting into a sneer at the back of his mind. Katsuya's eyes widened momentarily as the blond abruptly curled in on himself, hair standing on end before a large golden eye shimmered into existence between two animalistic ones. Malik... Malik was... "I gotta warn 'm," he whispered, shaking his head as his friends again came to mind. "I gotta..." He had to get out of here! "Hey! Hey, wake me up!" he shouted in a panic, turning on the 'spirits' as they swirled about the air. "Bring me back t' life," he demanded, "Wake me up!"

" _Alive? But you are alive,_ " the voices muttered, buzzing and swirling about in a snake-nest of light. " _Always alive, always, because you promised... You promised..._ " Pro-

"Promised?" he asked incredulously, staring up at the ghosts with narrowed eyes. "What th' hell do y' mean promised! Jus' get me back in my body already!"

" _Promised... Promised, promised,_ " the ghosts muttered, the buzzing increasing in intensity. " _You... Promised... You PROMISED!_ " the voices screeched, the spirits swirling into a bee-like swarm before charging forward with screeching wails. " _YOU PROMISED! REDEEM US, REDEEM US!_ " they cried, Katsuya stumbling back in terror as the spirits swirled into a vicious and rage-filled face above the air, " _YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED US ALL!_ " Oh god oh god oh god-!

"I don' know what yer talkin' abou'," he muttered, swallowing back his fear only to find it doubled in its place. "I don'... G-Get away from me! I don' know what th' hell yer talkin' abou'!"

" _REMEMBER_ ," the voices roared, the sound resembling a lamenting storm, " _Remember your PURPOSE,_ " they wailed, scattering into pieces as they fled and swarmed the blond. " _You came for a reason, so REMEMBER!_ " Remember what! What was he supposed to remem- " _There's more than_ _Gods in this world, there's more than what it seems!_ " they snarled, the formerly warm touch now burning his skin as he curled in on himself. " _You have a PURPOSE, we ALL have a purpose, so REMEMBER IT! REMEMBER!_ " The blond merely continued to huddle under the attack, arms proving a faulty shield as he squeezed his eyes shut.

" _merea,_ " a clear voice abruptly shouted through the wails, Katsuya shielding his eyes and attempting to look forward as the spirits attacked. " _merea!_ " Who... Who was shouting! The blond's eyes quivered, hands covering his head as he bit back shouts. Who was... "...JONOUCHI!" the voice roared, the tone only slightly familiar to him. Something reached through the spirits with the voice, something just as familiar to his current self as it was the memories dotted in the back of his mind. "TAKE MY HAND!" the voice roared, the blond still staring in silence. "TAKE MY HAND DAMN IT!" Hand?

Through the swirling white he could make out a figure, face and form obscured by the blinding light. Almost as ghostly as the souls around him it seemed to float forward, white form a mere mist with a blank and identity-less face. ' _Grab on_ ,' the voice was shouting through the screams as Katsuya swallowed another wave of paralyzing terror, ' _Grab ON!_ ' A hand reached forward, and still the blond stared. Hand... It was...

"GRAB ON!" With nothing else to lose the blond thrust his hand forward and did just that, eyes squeezed shut as the wails of the spirits vanished from sight and mind in an instant. Wails vanished into non-existence, endless darkness faded into clouds of darkness.

"Where... Where?" he found himself muttering as he was pulled forward, the clusters of smoke seemingly passing him by as they shifted into more calm and peaceful looking clouds. The white spirit pulling him forward appeared to ignore what was around them, the sight almost 'normal' to the shade as the blond behind him stared in wonder. "Where are..."

"Shh..." The voice of the spirit was calm now, a slight buzz of familiarity that only barely brought Katsuya's mind to attention. "Come, dear friend," the voice whispered, pulling the blond toward a single light that was developing in the darkness. The shade turned his nigh-formless face back to his apparent 'friend', expression unreadable as he spoke. "You need to wake up... Remember?" Wake up?

Voices flooded the air as he was set down to the ground, a strange 'moving' sensation coming over as they touched down. " _Jonouchi-kun,_ " he could hear Yugi cry loudly, joined in by others at the side. " _Katsuya-nii,_ " Mokuba's own voice screamed, the tones easily picked out from the crowd as their forms slowly faded into view around the area. " _Wake up,_ " an aggravated woman's voice muttered, the blond standing over the 'light' as it cleared into his collapsed body. " _Wake UP_ ," she growled, Katsuya looking back to the ghost briefly in more than evident confusion. "Hey... Who are y'?" he asked, the 'spirit' briefly turning from where it had been about to vanish with a still blank stare.

Silence hovered over the field only for a moment, before the ghost stepped forward. "...Someone you used to know," it muttered vaguely, Katsuya frowning in response. "Now then," he continued, pushing the blond back with a jolt,

* * *

" _ **WAKE UP**_!"

Katsuya's eyes flung open with a jolt as the shouts pierced the air, slowly bringing his hand up as he pulled himself to his knees through sheer subconscious thought. _'He's getting up,_ ' someone to the side called out, the name of the source momentarily passing him by as his hands numbly gripped whatever cards had remained in them. ' _He's getting... JONOUCHI_ ,' they called out, a few bits of laughter dotting the air as they celebrated. ' _JONOUCHI!_ '

His mind slowly cleared as the shouts continued, a name attaching itself to each voice as it sounded. "Nihan!" Shizuka was shouting, her own voice drowned out by the next call.

"Katsuya-nii!” Mokuba wailed, the boy's voice clearly filled with worry. The shouts continued to fill the air, Honda, Anzu, Mai, Yugi...

"Jonouchi!" the Other Yugi called out, joined in by his lighter half in an instant.

" _Jonouchi-kun!_ "

"Ung..." The blond shook himself, stumbling forward on his feet as he opened his eyes to the field around him. The dark night sky had cleared of clouds, and the cool summer air was a stunning contrast from the heat of the sanded area he'd stood in moments before. It was more than clear he'd woken up, returned from whatever bizarre dream or trial that was, but the duel...

He swallowed, stepping toward 'not-Malik' as shouts faded into the background of his thoughts. ' _The winner is Jonouchi Katsuya,_ ' Isono was shouting from behind, Katsuya ignoring him as he ran forward and past the working doctors. ' _The next match will be announced in thirty minutes_ ,' he continued, _'After the competitor Ishtar Malik has been cared for-_ '

The doctor and guards balked and protested as the blond continued to ignore the cries, reaching for 'Malik's body in a near panic. "Hey!" he shouted, rolling the man over with a swallow as he paled. 'Malik' said nearly nothing in response, gasping for breath as he looked up with dull eyes and paling skin. All around the field...

Cheers from his friends, silence from Seto, orders to move from the doctor, the shouts were in the back of his mind...

But from 'Namu'... "Aaaagh..." His hair was standing on end, his hands digging into his head as he screamed, "AAAAAAGGGHH!"

"Hnng... Ghk... Hk..." 'Malik's voice pulled him back to the present, rasping tones hitting the air as the doctor himself momentarily froze. "That... That was a good fight," the man whispered, wincing back a wave of pain as he continued. "You fought with honor... You recognized my fault, my mistake, when I myself did not... I..."

Ragged coughs filled the air, Katsuya swallowing as his eyes widened. "H-Hey," he said worriedly, "Calm down man... Doctors are here," he continued as he moved somewhat to the side, "They're righ'-"

"Rishid... My name is 'Rishid'," the man coughed, squeezing his eyes shut. His face was contorted with pain as he continued to force himself to speak, choking on his words. "I am... The guardian and... And shadow to Malik... I... ...Please," he begged, the doctor's assistant briefly blocking Katsuya's view as they attempted to work, "Please... There's another," Rishid whispered cryptically, "Inside..." Inside..? But the Rod didn't have a spirit, he'd have- "Stop him... Save him," he cried, the blond finally understanding Rishid's words and turning to the side with horror. "Malik is... Malik... Is... Ghn... Hn..."

"His pulse is moving way to fast," one of the guards was muttering, shoving Katsuya further to the side with a panicked shout. "Get the paddles!"

"Charging to 100," Kyouko was saying in response, the small machine at the side as numbers appeared at the screen. The doctor grabbed the 'paddles', small sticky patches without another word as the second guard tore Rishid's shirt open. The patches were hurriedly applied to the man's chest, and as Syn began work on 'Rishid', Kyouko's shouts faded further into the background.

"CLEAR," the doctor cried, the body 'jumping' just slightly as a pained shout came from the side.

"Ahhhh...! AAAAHHH!" Those on the deck and field however stared at Rishid, Katsuya's eyes wide as the pulse was checked over.

"Starting CPR," Syn announced, patches pulled off as he began. "Get that board ready!"

"Right!"

"Nghaaaaaa! AAAAAGGGHHH!" Why was he screaming...

Why was he screaming louder as Rishid's pulse-

"Got him," the doctor abruptly shouted, the heart having been looked to just soon enough for it to begin properly with the added help. "Get him down-stairs and-"

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Katsuya slowly turned back to the side, eyes widening as much a possible as his own screams hit the air. "Yugi!" Oh shit! "YUGI!" Katsuya shouted, eyes wide as a rush of nausea and fear hit the air for no apparent reason save the sudden quiet around them. "He's BEHIND YOU!" he roared in a panic, the doctor and guards both momentarily turning to the blond in shock. "MALIK IS-"

"No..." A cold chill came over the air, those on the arena staring at the foreign blond as the screams cut short. "No... Malik was never really here," the teen responded eerily, Yugi merely turning with wide and horror filled eyes at the sudden switch from terror to control. Shizuka was pulled back immediately by Ryuzaki as low chuckling filled the air, those around immediately putting as much space between themselves and the blond as possible. The area around Malik cleared immediately as the blond chuckled, his hair standing completely on end as a wicked and animal gleam came into his eyes. "Just a 'shadow'," he sneered, doctors turning to a barely audible shout from the radio at their sides.

_'Get to the lift_ ,' Seto's voice could be heard muttering, the doctors hurriedly strapping Rishid to an emergency board and heading for the field's opposite side at the words. ' _Get him into his room and keep a staff member in there at all times_ ,' she continued, ' _NOW._ '

For a moment the source of this paranoia could have been questioned, even passed off as troublesome. The actions taken in response could be seen as simply following orders but as what Seto saw in Malik's eyes was revealed to everyone else, it became apparent that this was something that had everyone just as on edge. That message brought by the change in actions and appearances could only been proven by the next words out of the blond's mouth, words that managed to hold everyone fearfully in place.

"You want to know who 'Malik' is?" the blond was muttering with a sadistic grin, voice having changed almost completely within the sudden switch. "You're looking at him... The shadow, the one you saw," he continued darkly, gesturing to himself with a sneer, "He's just pathetic." S-So then there was a spirit in the Rod? "A weakling... Nothing compared to me," Malik continued with a scowl. "Yet because of his blind faith in that man I'm never in control, never here... Hnhnhnhnhn..." More chuckling filled the air, waves of fear rolling off almost all who stood before the teen. "That boy... So afraid of the 'dark'," he stated almost plainly, "But not me! The darkness is here," he said with a growing grin, face rather akin to a hyena's as he stood tall before them. "And I love the dark..."

"You... Another Malik?" Yugi whispered incredulously, the blond turning on him with yet another laugh.

"Hnhnhnhn... HAHAHAHA! 'Another' you, 'Another' Bakura," he trailed off with a grin, eyes wide with madness. "Shadows fighting shadows, how ridiculous... You're mere shades of your former selves, spirits with no purpose in this world, mere fragments of souls! But me..." The blond briefly broke into another bought of laughter, shaking his head with a leering grin. "Oh I'm far more than that... I don't need to be tied down to some ancient object I have no care for... Though I have to say," he went on idly, most of the others swallowing in unease. "That man's loss was more useful than I thought... Looks like only those with ties to these items can control the gods, not that I really have a use for that pawn any more... Hnhnhnhnhn..."

A snort came from the side, Seto staring forward with narrowed eyes. She'd sent her brother away long ago it seemed, Mokuba mysteriously absent from the field along with Isono. The others weren't so lucky, stuck with Malik standing almost directly between them and the lift. As Seto spoke however, Isono appeared from behind the blond to gesture to them, Malik seemingly distracted by the sheer gall displayed at the interruption...

And despite distractions, Ryuzaki had already caught the message, fleeing behind the blond with Shizuka at his side as he sent the others a look.

And continuing with her distraction, Seto made to speak. "Psh! Millennium Items and 'ancient ties'... Explain how any of that has to do with me," she growled lowly, "Because the last time I checked, 'Obelisk' didn't malfunction in my hands.” This was probably the worst possible thing she could have asked given her apparent hate for this sort of thing, though at least it got Honda and Otogi past Malik and into the lift as a result.

Just himself, Anzu, and Yugi remained now, their own escape halted by the brief answer Malik was giving. "Hnhnhnhnha! It has everything to do with you!" Malik shouted with a laugh, the others on the deck slowly putting more distance between themselves and the blond as the Egyptian howled. "You can't escape the destiny of thousands of years, 'Priest'! Your very image has been carved into time, and there's no escaping! The final battle has already started," he continued with a grin, Anzu vanishing into the lift as those remaining on deck swallowed or alternatively glared. "And this ship is heading into a one-way trip to the realms of the dead... Hnhnhahahahaha..." Seto's eyes continued to narrow as the laughter filled the air, the blond before them crossing his arms with a grin. "Oh... And don't think I saw through your little distraction," Malik added with a chuckle, Yugi and Katsuya both swallowing as the lift closed over and vanished from sight. "I could kill you with just a thought, whenever I liked... But that just wouldn't be fun!" F-Fun! The blond's eyes narrowed just slightly, inhuman expression twisting further as winds blew past the four. "I'm going to play along with your little game tournament," he continued, a fierce wind appearing to blow as the 'Other Yugi' stared Malik down, "But believe me when I say... A single sign of 'cheating', a single attempt to 'deal with me'," the blond 'warned', "And I'll use my regular methods instead. You've already tried to fool me once," he added with a laugh, Seto abruptly growing pale from where she stood. "Consider the days of the first victim numbered..."

With not another word Malik turned from the three, the elevator lift having arrived just seconds before. The lift doors opened swiftly as the blond stood before them, and in a single swift motion the bag on his shoulders was pulled down. And from its pockets, a single gold staff appeared, gleaming in the moonlight as Malik entered the lift...

Followed by a fierce, raging flame with tooth-lined eyes. And below on the main deck in the darkness of the eighth room, tears began to fall to the ground, visions of terror and death filling her mind. The next battle would soon begin...

And with it, the death toll would ring louder than it ever had.

* * *

Holding back audible panic had been difficult on the way back down to the 'main' area of the airship. There was no way for them to get back to the ship until the lift returned after all and the fact was, there was also no way of telling what Malik considered 'playing by the rules'. In the end however the unwelcome distraction from his own injuries had the group safely tucked away in 'Rishid's room, with short excuses and explanations coming into play while Seto locked herself and her brother away elsewhere.

For the moment no one had asked why he'd warned Rishid against Ra, nor had they asked about knowing who he was...

There were far more important things at hand, and it was those things that had a guard posted inside Bakura's locked room while Dr. Syn checked over a now stabilized Rishid. "How is he?" Shizuka was asking the man with a swallow, rubbing her arms as she attempted to get over the terror she'd felt mere moments before.

The doctor turned from his seat, slowly standing to answer the girl as he held a clipboard. "From what we can tell," the doctor stated calmly, "The shock hasn't left any permanent damage... There's no explanation as to how this all happened of course," he continued, shaking his head as a flash of obvious confusion came over him, "But so long as he rests he should wake up within a day or so." Hopefully.

The others nodded at this, worried stares moving over to the man on the bed. "So then... This man," Anzu began, eyes just barely shadowed before she was interrupted.

"...'Rishid'," Katsuya muttered, a frown on his face. The others turned, staring momentarily as the blond went on. "He said 's name was 'Rishid' b'fore he collapsed..."

"'Rishid'..." The group turned, Syn going back to his papers as the teens spoke amongst themselves.

"That sounds almost like 'Rashid'," Otogi added with a frown. "That's an arabic name... I think it means 'rightly guided'. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure 'Malik' means 'King'," he continued, the frown deepening as the others raised their eyebrows. Rightly guided... And king. Yeaaaah...

"I'm not even touching that one," Ryuzaki muttered under his breath, dodging a look from Shizuka as he sighed. "Man... What the hell is with my luck," he moaned, holding his head in his hands. "First Bakura ends up comatose and now I'm sharing a room with a sociopath..."

"Not if I can help it," Shizuka muttered, arms crossed as a look of stubborn rage came over her. "There's too many people getting hurt in this tournament... We can't just sit here and wait for the worst," she continued, expression quickly sinking into fear and worry despite the comment.

A few of the others as well nodded, tongues more or less held tight. "First Bakura, now 'Rishid'," Anzu muttered, shaking her head. "This man gave up everything for Malik," the woman continued almost depressingly. "Only to be betrayed completely!"

"Betrayed after all that..." Again heads turned, this time stopping at the oldest of the group of friends. "I almost feel sorry for him," Mai whispered, eyes closing over somewhat. "Going through all that..."

"...And to think... Malik was behind us the entire time," Honda added with a swallow, going somewhat green in the face at the thought. "The entire time... And we didn't notice..!"

"I jus' don' get how this all happened," Katsuya muttered, the blond shaking himself. He collapsed into one of the other chairs in the room, rubbing his forehead with a swallow. "We were both attacked by Ra... Th' dragon got 's both," he continued to protest, "Equal power! So why did I get up while he..."

"It's probably just something you guys were wearing," Ryuzaki said with a shrug, the group blinking. "Heck, lightning might be dangerous, but it's still quick! There have been people who were hit seven times that walked away," he continued, wisely ignoring the stairs as the conversation went on. Alright, he'd give Ryuzaki that he supposed...

"It wasn' jus' lightn'in though," he muttered under his breath, the others appearing to frown as his words failed to register in their minds. "It was..." Real.

A controlled attack. It was...

Katsuya shook himself, changing the subject before anyone realized what he'd said. "...When I was knocked out," he began, crossing his arms as he slumped into the chair, "I had no way 'f really knowin' tha' I wasn' already awake, no way... An' this guy... He was probably in th' same situation, so why..."

Yugi suddenly seemed to tense, frowning somewhat as he stared toward his friend. "...Jonouchi," he began seriously, his lighter half nowhere to be seen for the moment. "Earlier during the match, you said that Rishid was a 'true duelist'..." He trailed off as the others turned, Katsuya swallowing and staring while his friend continued. And here he'd thought he escaped questioning... So much for that. "You... How did you know who he was," Yugi asked, the frown deepening as his friend stared at the ground. "You said you knew before the ship took off... But how..?" How...

He couldn't answer.

He couldn't answer, not now, not ever, not while all of this was going on! He'd never even imagined that 'Malik' would go completely nuts after all, never even imagined...

So while he told himself he'd find away to warn the others if he saw anything, he couldn't just come out with this. Not yet. Not... "A feeling," he answered in the end, staring at the ground as he broke the silence that had settled over the room. "I jus'... Had a feelin'," Katsuya muttered. "...Maybe... Maybe tha's how I woke up," he continued, eyes growing somewhat dim as he went on. "While I was knocked out, I had this feelin'... Tha' what I w's seein' wasn' real... An' I could hear voices," he continued somewhat blankly. "I heard Honda, Shizuka, S... Kaiba," he corrected, shaking his head. "I could hear all these voices... All tellin' me tha' they were there. Tha' you were there," he continued, gesturing to the crowd. "Maybe... B'cause 'f all you guys," the blond muttered with a swallow, "I was able t' get th' strength to get up when he couldn'..."

Because while he had friends, while someone had somehow sought him out in his own mind...

Rishid had no one. Silence came through the air at those words, pale and confused expressions answering them as silence again settled about the room. It was an awkward silence, the sort that none could really hope to break but in the end it was Shizuka who did just that. The girl turned toward the closed door, arms folded over themselves, and with a sigh made her decision.

"...Nihan?" she asked, turning to her brother as the blond looked up from his seat. "...Which way is Kaiba-san's room?" K-

Seto's room! The blond choked somewhat, the others staring somewhat incredulously as he attempted to think of an answer. "Kaiba's room?" the other Yugi asked, still holding control over the body for fear of some unseen attack from Malik. The boy's frown deepened with confusion, shaking his head somewhat as he answered. "Why exactly..?"

Shizuka merely held an oddly determined stare, arms crossed as her brother coughed. Obviously she found her reason more than obvious. And obviously, they weren't getting a straight answer either. "Er... Follow me," he eventually said somewhat nervously, the others raising their eyebrows at the request.

"You know where Kaiba's room is?" Otogi asked, tilting his head somewhat as Mai brushed past the boy.

"Ohhh... It's probably the room with the '1' on it," she muttered 'knowingly', rolling her eyes somewhat as she gestured to the other doors. "Given the pattern I mean..." As Otogi coughed in response to this, Mai turned back to Katsuya. The woman appeared to be smiling despite all that was going on, and it was only at that moment that a rather cold feeling rose up in the back of Katsuya's mind. Mai... Mai hadn't dueled yet, and besides Seto and the eighth duelist that left- "So," the woman began, cutting her friend's thoughts short as the blond stared. "You heard all our voices before you woke up," she asked, the blond turning with a slight jump. "Even mine?" Even-

Oh crap! She wanted to know that!

...Actually, he was fairly glad he didn't hear any ghosts with her voice... Though to explain that aloud... "Er... W-Well..." Aha... Ahaha... Truth be told, the only voices he heard, at least, the only ones he'd recognized, were the three he'd mentioned in the room. Heck, he'd gotten a few snippets from Mokuba and Yugi as well, but he was pretty sure that that was because he'd been about to wake up!

The only reason he knew Seto was one of the voices was because he didn't think she'd be shouting at him in front of everyone really... ...But oooh... How to explain that...

...Well, he supposed he couldn't really lie about this one. "A-Act'lly... I think th' voices were from some past memory," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe from a while before, or something weird... There'd been something. "Anyways... We don' see each other often," he continued with a cough, "So... I didn' act'lly hear too many... ...Ah..." Ehhh... Katsuya rubbed his head, before shaking it off as Mai's expression appeared to fall somewhat. "It's nothin' though," he said with a laugh, hurriedly changing the subject. Anything to get the dream out of his head really, though he really hoped this didn't get the woman ticked at him. "It's nothin' alrigh'? We're friends! No matter what, we're friends, an'... An' I'm sure you'll show up in another dream righ'?" he continued, a mental voice telling him to stop diggin the hole before he hit South America. Of course thinking now, a dream with Mai in it wouldn't be too bad...

Preferably one that didn't involve attacking ghosts granted, but-

"Ow ow ow ow ow..!" The blond quickly found himself dragged off by Anzu and Shizuka both, the older gripping his cheek tightly as he was dragged half-way up the stairs. Katsuya winced as the cheek was released, hand instantly rubbing it over as the women both shook their heads.

"Ooooohhhh... Jonouchi..."

"Nihan, of all the things to say," his sister continued, arms crossed as she frowned. "Owww..." Of all what things to say? Did they have to pull him off like that!

The blond continued to rub his cheek, pinch mark slowly fading as he scowled. "Man... What th' hell guys..." A sudden smack came through the air, Katsuya's hands flying for his head as Anzu raised her eyebrows. "Gh- O-Oi!" he shouted angrily, his sister again crossing her arms. "Sh-Shizuka!"

"How could you be so stupid?" she hissed, shaking her head as both girls stared and scowled. Stupid?

"Eh? Shizuka," he muttered, "What are you-" "You just told her you heard everyone but her," Anzu continued with a scowl, "Are you really that dense?"

"Wha?" But he didn't say anything like that, he'd- "Anzu, I never said-"

"You're an IDIOT!"

"B-But I-"

"An AHOU!"

"Sh-Shizuka!"

"Ahhhh..." The shouts and one-sided insults cut short, the trio turning to look down the stairs as a fourth voice cut through the air.

"...Mai went to her room," Ryuzaki said from the side, poking his head in the stair well as the others moved past him. "And Malik's room door is open," he continued with a cough, "So I'm going to try and get my stuff out before he gets back from... Whatever he's doing..." Yeah, lets not think about the 'whatever' part.

Shizuka blinked at the statement, worry immediately filling her face as she looked down from the stairs. "Gh- Malik's... K-Keichi," she protested with wide eyes, "Are you sure that's safe?"

The boy nodded, shrugging as the others turned back to look at him. "Of course! Besides," Ryuzaki continued with a sigh, "It's probably now or never really..." Well, that was always a good point, but... "As to where he went," he added with a shudder, "I sure as hell don't want to know."

More silence filled the air, the boy's friend slowly nodding despite the un-ease. "Alright... But be careful..." As Shizuka watched her friend leave with increasing worry Anzu turned back to Katsuya, arms crossed. "We'll talk later," she growled, the blond before her merely rubbing his cheek in confusion. "Until then," she added with a frown, "Dealing with Malik is probably more important than you sticking your foot in your mouth..."

"Way more important than whatever you're talking about," Honda muttered, receiving an icy look from Anzu in response. The teen through his hands in the air with mock defense, looking from the top of the stairs and shaking his head. "H-Hey! I'm just guessing here!"

A sigh came from further ahead, the others turning as Yugi cut the argument short. "Kaiba's room is just upstairs," Yugi said somewhat plainly, his friends following behind with nods. "Come on," he continued, the group running into the hall as fast as the cramped stair-well allowed, "I'll show you where-"

The boy abruptly cut himself off, blinking as Mokuba turned from the door he'd been heading for. "Ah- Yugi... Katsuya-nii..." The group stared, coming out into the hall as Mokuba idly swiped the door with his key card. "What are you guys all doing up here..?" Oh, well that was easy.

"We need to speak with Se... W' Kaiba," Katsuya said somewhat nervously, rubbing his neck as Shizuka nodded seriously in response. "It's abou' Malik," he continued, "An'..."

Mokuba merely nodded, tapping the door code on the key-pad that appeared with swift ease. "Got it; nii-sama just went in," he continued plainly, "So he shouldn't be busy with anything..." Key word being 'shouldn't', given what happened the last time they went in unannounced... "Nehh, Nii-sama!" the boy shouted, the door swishing open as he ran into the room. "Nii-sama!" he continued loudly, "The others need to talk to you!"

"Hn? Others?" Seto looked up from where she'd been sorting through her deck, eyes narrowed in slight confusion. The woman's coat was thankfully still wrapped around her shoulders to hide what was a fairly feminine figure despite otherwise suppressed breasts, and as she folded the deck back up her agitation was more than evident. "...You," she muttered, crossing her arms and legs from her seat. "...I should have guessed..." Hey, hey what was that supposed to mean?

Yugi merely sighed at what were now accepted as unchangeable antics, walking into the room with ease as the others hesitantly followed behind. Within an instant the two had switched again, the lighter half evidently being found more trusting when it came to 'arguments' given obvious friction between the more violent of personalities and the woman before them. "We need to turn the airship around," he said with a swallow, looking over to Shizuka and the others as the former gave an 'approving' nod. "There's too many problems happening on the ship," the boy continued as his confidence rose somewhat, "And it's only been the second match of the finals... Each of the losers have entered comas," he protested worriedly, "And if this keeps up..."

"Too many people are getting hurt," Shizuka said with a swallow, the girl shaking her head and cutting her friend off. "And Keichi, he could be next," she protested with obvious panic, "He had agreed to share the room with Malik just before this! I know you have doctors on this ship," the girl continued, bowing her head as she went on. "But a doctor can't stop a psychopath! We need to turn the ship-"

"No." The others balked, Katsuya gritting his teeth at the sudden response.

"O-Oi! What kind of response is that!" he barked, Mokuba looking up with slight worry as Seto stared almost blankly in response. "You didn' even give it any thought," he continued angrily, "What's with tha'!"

"Kaiba, listen to what we're saying," Honda said with a growl, the woman quite easily ignoring him it seemed. "There's a killer on this thing! I don't care if we don't know what he's done," he continued in protest, "He almost killed our friends, and he definitely said he'd try again! I'm not about to wait and see if that's true!"

Still Seto ignored the group, Shizuka momentarily taking in a deep breath before stepping forward. "Please... I'm begging you," the girl said clearly, bowing steeply as the woman before her raised her eyebrows. "For all our sakes, turn this ship around before anyone dies!"

"If I turn it around," Seto muttered in response, "You _will_ all die."

The group tensed, Otogi growing pale as a dead silence came over the air. "...What the hell do you mean, we'll all die?" he whispered, swallowing as he was met with an ice cold glare.

"Try to think clearly for at least a few moments so you can keep up with this," the woman began, eyes narrowed as she turned on the crowd. "Malik Ishtar is dangerous, there's no doubt about that; he's a wanted criminal in Egypt and the leader of a world-wide crime ring centred on cards and ancient artifacts both. But for reasons beyond me he's agreed to tie himself to the rules of nothing but a simple card-game tournament... Namely this one. So long as we continue as though nothing happened," she continued on with well hidden distaste, "He keeps to himself. No one dies, no one is injured. I don't know why he's doing this," Seto continued lowly, "But rest assured, I am not simply 'standing by' as this happens. I have guards and cameras to watch his every move should he decide to try anything else, and the moment we arrive at our destination there will be a helicopter for the victims on board and another to arrest Malik. The doors are thick enough to withstand a blast from a torpedo if it comes to locking ourselves in, but rather than risking all our necks by pissing off a madman, I plan on keeping cautious and preventing any casualties on my ship! So," she spat, narrowing her eyes as she stood before the crowd and finished her whirlwind rant. "You can whine about wanting to go home all you like... But if you plan on doing it in something other than a casket," she snarled, "I would listen... Now get out of my room," Seto spat, leering down at the group before her as they held back a cringe. "And the next time that door opens, it had better be important..."

The crowd nodded weakly, wide eyed expressions marred only by the scowl on the 'other Yugi's face in response. "A-Alright nii-sama," Mokuba eventually said with a swallow, turning to the others with a pale face while he coughed. "We... We'll just go now, and..."

_-ATTENTION,-_ a voice called out through the air, cutting the boy off. _-The third semi-final match will now be decided,-_ Isono announced, Seto turning from where she'd looked away from the others as the group followed her gaze to the PA system. _-All remaining duelists are to report to the dining hall!-_ Ah...

"Third match," Katsuya muttered with a swallow, before hurriedly stepping back as Seto moved forward and past the crowd. Of course since Seto hadn't fought yet, she was required to show up. The others slowly filtered out behind the woman, Katsuya shaking his head as he held up the rear.

Malik's grinning face was etching itself into his mind, never leaving. Laughing through the back of his mind and distracting him enough that he found himself stopping in the middle of the hall.

"...He's one 'f th' competitors too," he found himself muttering, biting his lip as he stared at the ground. He was one of them. And there was a high chance he'd be against someone they knew.

Mai walked past at that moment, a strong chill travelling through his spine as the realization struck him cold. Seconds before he'd been worried that Seto would have to face the mad-man, that despite all previous experience telling him that Seto would win, the worst would end up happening. That the 'darkness' Malik spoke of would fill the air and everyone would be gone... Slaughtered like some sacrificial lamb. But Malik had tied himself to the duels, promising he would hold his blade.

And as a flash came to mind he quickly realized why, the blond's eyes widening as he forced his body to continue standing.

It would be slow.

Slow, but undeniably painful he realized, slipping into the washroom at the side and taking advantage of no longer having to be present at the match-ups. Whoever stood in Malik's way would face the powers of the Millennium Rod, but it wouldn't be 'mind control'. It would be far different, far... Darker, far more dangerous, far more... _Visceral._

For in Malik's mind this was all a game and the loser was going to die. So what better game to play, a voice in the back of his mind muttered, than a 'Shadow Game'? What other choice could their possibly be than to send up the powers of the Millennium Items for the sick amusement of its owner, forcing all those at the side to watch? In Malik's mind there was no other choice, none at all, not right now. And as Katsuya sunk against the door with his head in his hands, he already knew what numbers were being pulled from the mouths of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

Number Four, for Mai, the woman leaving the room before the second could be read.

And number 5, belonging to the competitor who wasn't even in the room at that time. Malik was fighting next. And his opponent...

Was one of the two he'd feared for.

He almost wondered if turning around would have been better now. If facing Malik himself with something other than cards would turn out better, or even just throwing him overboard and acting as though nothing had happened. But no matter what his mind kept shouting back about it being impossible, about it never happening, about things that _had_ to be done.

But why, he asked himself, slumping further against the door as he struggled to calm himself.

_Why?_

" _Jonouchi?_ " the stern voice of his friend asked, tone laced with subtle confusion and worry. " _What are you doing in here again?_ " Again? Oh right...

He'd come in here before...

He really had to think of a better way to do this, didn't he? The blond turned, staring as the Other Yugi appeared at the side to take a seat. Had it not been for the fact that half of his body was still inside the wall, he'd have had to ask why he didn't hear the door open. All oddities aside, he found himself shaking his head and pulling himself to his feet.

"I... I jus' felt a lil' sick 's all," he muttered, finding himself unable to bother caring about if his friend bought the lie or not. "Pro'lly from th' attack earlier," he added, again shaking himself as he looked back at the spirit beside him. He needed to go out. Cheer Mai on... _Warn_ her-

Yugi stared at his friend before nodding as he came into the room. " _I see_ ," he muttered, hands stowed in his pockets as the room fell into a short and awkward silence. " _...Mai is fighting next,_ " he stated after a few moments, Katsuya nodding dully.

"I know," he muttered, not caring that he was receiving a blank stare in response.

" _...She left before her opponent was announced. ...It's Malik,_ " Yugi continued, eyes narrowing slightly with worry as his friend again seemed to hold no reaction save a slight shiver.

"...I know," he again answered, swallowing back a choke as Yugi stared. Briefly the teen looked as though he was going to ask something, but he instead opted to continue with what would otherwise seem to be idle conversation.

" _...She asked me to pass a message... '_ Don't cheer for me _', that's what she said. Apparently,_ " Yugi continued, looking at his friend from the corner of his eye, " _She's decided that she can only fight alone..._ "

"I know!" The blond's last response came out as a shout, Katsuya holding his head as he shook from where he stood. "I _know_ ," he muttered, gripping the counter for support, "I..." Yugi appeared to bite his lip, vanishing and re-appearing at his friend's side with a worried frown.

" _...Jonouchi_ ," he stated quietly, usually tense and commanding voice shifting to more comforting tones. " _If there's something you want to talk about, I might not understand... But I'm always here... And I'm willing to listen,_ " he added, receiving no answer in response. Of course. Of course he was willing, he was his friend but...

_But if he told him about the duels!_ Katsuya sat in silence, shadows appearing to fill the back of his mind as he ran over his options. No time. This wasn't the time, not...

"...We need t' be up there," he finally said, turning around to steel himself before pushing through the door. "B'fore anything happens," he continued seriously, "We need t' be there... I don' care what she said," the blond growled, charging through the hall toward the lift, "I'm shoutin' as loud as I can!"

"Hn!" The blond's friend smirked, apparently finding the returned 'good mood' enough to hold back any questions he obviously had. " _Good_ ," Yugi said with a grin, following his friend into the lift and watching as the doors closed for the device to rush upward. " _I expected nothing le-_ "

The spirit abruptly froze, looking up and vanishing from sight without any more warning than a fear filled expression on his face. "Eh- Y-Yugi?" The blond tensed, staring at the spot where the spirit had stood moments before. Where...

Where did he go?

The lift doors opened just as those thoughts came to mind, Katsuya charging out of the lift only to stumble and choke as a sudden pressuring feeling came over him. Darkness... A heavy, endless darkness that refused to leave was now sitting across the air, coating the arena like a thick mantle of cloth. It was a complete and utter darkness that blocked the sky from sight, leaving nothing but shadowed figures of those on the arena in its wake, each one seemingly illuminated by nothing whatsoever...

Yet he had no troubles breathing he realized, looking up at where Mai was clearly succumbing to fatigue before the battle even began. He stumbled, and even choked that was true, but only from surprise. So how...

How was it that after Yugi's own stories of the 'shadow games', that he could stand so easily...

"MAI!" the others shouted from the side, the woman in question turning with eyes that were clearly filled with fear and shock both. "MAI YOU CAN'T LOSE!" they announced, Mokuba notably missing from Seto's side. For his safety, Katsuya found himself muttering, he was kept back for his safety...

Again his thoughts were cut short, still more shouts coming from the crowd. "Beat him!" still others called from the sides, Katsuya running over to join them as they cheered their friend on. "You can do it," they roared, "Come on!"

The woman tensed, gritting her teeth despite obvious sensations of fatigue running over her at the moment. "You... I told you all to stay below deck!" she roared, narrowing her eyes. "I fight on my own! All your shouts are doing is distracting me, don't you realize that?" Distracting? Pah!

"You think we care abou' what you said?" Katsuya retorted, Mai jumping as the blond moved to the side of the arena to look up at her. "We're not watchin' y' ruin yerself!" he continued, fists clenching while he yelled. "We already know yer a good duelist Mai... Y' don' need t' fight alone t' prove tha'! You're our friend..! So don't push yourself to prove otherwise damn it!"

Mai continued to stare at the blond, expression momentarily falling into confusion. "...You..."

"Hnhnhnhnhnhn..." Dark chuckling came from the side, Katsuya swallowing nervously as the laughter seemed to echo through the air. "Friends... That sort of pathetic connection just makes the game more fun," Malik sneered with a grin, the Egyptian having traded his lavender jacket for a cloak identical to that of Rishid's. Gleaming brightly in some unseen source of light the Millennium Rod was in his hand and held tightly at his side, Malik's animal grin instilling terror in each of their hearts as they watched him speak. "There's nothing like a sacrifice in front of those you care about... The looks on the faces of the witnesses... Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"Gh... Bastard," Katsuya hissed under his breath, only to find himself distracted by the mutterings of those behind him.

"Man... What's with this fog?" Honda rasped, shaking his head as the others turned.

Honda seemed to speak with an almost hoarse tone coating his voice, the teen gripping his throat and attempting to blink off whatever was affecting it. A majority of them were in weak conditions in fact, Ryuzaki even clutching his chest and leaning against the side, Shizuka gripping the railing and taking just as laboured breaths.

"I can barely breathe," Honda muttered, the comment appearing to apply to most everyone in the area.

"The entire sky has gone dark too," Otogi added, swallowing back a cough as he held his head. "What is this..."

"Oh... You haven't guessed?" Malik asked with a grin, chuckling as he crossed his arms to leer at the crowd below. "Why don't you ask your friend..?" Gh...

Katsuya swallowed glancing to the side as he realized that Yugi had again switched places with his 'Other'. Like himself, the other Yugi appeared largely unaffected by the shadows. As to what that meant... "This..." This wasn't good. "This is a 'shadow game'," Yugi muttered with a swallow, eyes wide as the others turned their attentions to him. "This... MAI!" he shouted in a panic, the woman turning just slightly as he called out to her in warning. "If you lose this game you lose your life, watch yourself! Mai!" he continued, the woman narrowing her eyes, "This game is..."

"Not good... Not good, not..." Katsuya shook his head as he stepped back behind the others, bring his hands to his ears as panic rose into his eyes. Maybe Yugi could hear it too... Maybe he was used to it, maybe that was why... "MAI!" he screamed, cupping his hands and watching as the woman stared. "You can't take this match, it's too dangerous!"

The others of the crowd turned back, Yugi himself holding silent as looks of shock and surprise came over them. "...Jonouchi?" Katsuya as well held his tongue, fists closed over tightly as he continued to hold his stare at the field. He didn't want any caskets alright? He didn't...

He didn't want any one to die damn it!

But as Isono announced the duel start most of the words he received in response to the warnings were blocked out by screams of terror and rage both, with no apparent source to speak of. Screams of countless voices, of men, women, children...

And the words they shouted from across the field, the words that it seemed he alone could hear...

Made Yugi's warning seem almost pointless.

" _REDEEM US,_ " the unseen shades were crying, the darkness appearing to increase with each shout. " _YOU PROMISED US! REDEEM US!_ " But amid the shouts there was nothing he could do.

Nothing he could do save watch and see what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this fic progresses, certain mistranslated terms are being corrected. This could be seen earlier, where Malik's speech was corrected to Egyptian Arabic but is especially key now; as the closest language to the Canannite language which would have been spoken by the village within the AU, Biblical Hebrew has been used for words, names, and terms. (Though admittedly Nehker's name has been deliberately spelled differently from Neker, to reflect his life in the capital)
> 
> A notable point here is the change from the word 'Chabar' to 'Merea'. This is because I recently discovered 'Chabar' is typically used between couples; not the word we want!
> 
> With hope and understanding, I will continue to make sure to make these updates as necessary without changing the structure of the fic itself.


	24. Sunrise

Friendship was a strange thing. Not a negative sort of strange of course, as friendship was almost completely positive in its nature. But it was still strange.

The dictionary defined it as a bond through which one could be considered loyal, caring, and understanding to the other. But there was more to the term than that he thought. It was a tie that could match with and occasionally even surpass that of the family bond from what he had seen, and on its own its power 'friendship' had the strangest ways of holding true despite the most negative of circumstance. It was a corny acknowledgement. One could even say that was cliche.

But the 'power of friendship' was a power nonetheless, and it was this 'power' that allowed the friends tied by it to help each other to surpass what ever problems they needed to overcome. That power that allowed them to move on through life, for the sole existence of the bond.

Because they were friends. Because they trusted each other.

Because they knew that no matter what the situation, no matter what the damage done, there would be a way out.

And that was all that he needed to know to understand the term provided his lighter and calmer half was always there to remind him why. Friendship was, so long as the memory was available, easy to understand. But trust, true trust, was different. Even in friendship 'trust' could occasionally get its holes. It could slip up in a single moment of doubt, no matter how strong the friendship remained through it. And throughout almost the entire evening of the tournament, it was these thoughts of faltering and questioned trust that were running through his mind despite all he wanted to believe.

These thoughts that, so fragile in nature, had been shielded from his lighter half out of his worry for the reaction, these thoughts that had him wondering what had happened to his friend in that year. Yugi, the 'real' Yugi, had noticed something was wrong with himself after all. He'd noticed when the shade that was known as the 'other Yugi', the 'pharaoh', had been acting in secrecy, desperately hiding his intentions for entering the tournament. He'd even guessed the reason, piecing the answer together just like, dare he say it, a puzzle. To find his memories, to find his reason for existence...

And despite the secrecy his lighter half had respected the desire to keep the reasoning secret, promising to help in whatever it took to reach that goal. He always did have a way of knowing when something was wrong really...

It was what made Yugi 'Yugi', one of the many things that set them apart. But this time though his lighter half had his doubts about everything being as 'fine' as their friend had claimed, it seemed that he was the one to realize something was wrong first. That he was the first to notice, or at least notice more than the occasional 'zone' during class.

He would admit that it had to do with what he'd seen at the pier of course. If anything he'd have found it hard to believe that the pier had been a separate occurrence altogether. It had taken time to even recover from seeing Jonouchi in the state, let alone realize that the 'mind control' had been far more than just that. That rather than the manipulation of thoughts it had been a manipulation of the body, with the soul itself torn from its physical bonds.

His friend had been aware of the battle and Rod both, and fighting during the entire battle as he suffered injury after grievous injury. And even when he had first been flung from the puzzle to the ground, sensations unlike any he'd felt before rushing through him, Jonouchi had been in enough dis-repair that had it been a real body he'd have died long ago. His arms had been tatters, with spots where bone could be seen between hanging and ragged muscles. The fact that he could move his arms at all was a surprise in fact, especially considering the multitude of burns covering the blond's body.

Even that however was nothing compared to the other forms of damage that had been sustained, the lower half of his jaw effectively being ripped from the bone as the demonic form of the Millennium rod bit into him. Yet he'd somehow managed to not only push through but effectively ignore the damage done, speaking to him as though all it was was a standard fist fight before managing to defeat the fiend. He'd fought off the twisted fires and teeth gnawing at his physical body, ignoring flying blood and impossible acts of physics and reality in order to save his friend. It was a frightening sight...

A horrific one, and combined with the sensations of touch that he had on his own accord, with the enraged emotions running through him, it was altogether a relief in more than one way when it was over. When he had returned to being a 'shade' with minimal capability in emotion, returned to the 'black-white' haze he had become so used to. Returned to the state that Yugi guided him through, that he relied on his partner to hold a balance in.

Something was off however, both after and during the match. Jonouchi had claimed the sight had been a result of the Rod, and nothing more. That the monsters deliberately refusing to battle for his sake were merely a side effect, that to hear them speak mattered little.

But he'd been too calm with his explanation, a fact that was clear even with the unease and fear running rampant at that time. He'd acted as though it was just another fight on the streets and while he admired his friend's courage, he knew how his friend reacted to things. He knew what sort of reaction would have ordinarily arisen from the encounter with the 'Rod', from the actions done.

Yet despite his suspicion and unease the power of friendship and trust had taken its toll again; he himself kept secrets from Yugi after all. What gave him the right to pry into what was likely a private matter? If he was able to keep important things from his friends, then so could anyone and everyone else he knew. It was only fair.

But it was also incredibly worrisome.

As Ryuzaki had noted after all Jonouchi's jacket was in tatters. His body had sustained exceedingly light burns and there were scrapes that could not be explained by simple 'hologram' damage. And as the doctor had found later on at Kaiba's request, there were bruises covering Jonouchi's middle in addition to those scrapes. And though he couldn't be too sure of the source of those same bruises, it looked almost like a fist from what he'd been able to tell...

It looked almost similar to the fist of the very monster Jonouchi had so wanted to warn him against earlier that morning, with 'ring' marks, lines resembling the armor of the beast...

There was just so much going on, and so little he understood now! He knew that Jonouchi could see and hear him. In fact, from the last test run they'd had a few months prior he also knew that running into Jonouchi as a spirit would only end in bruises. They collided as though in reality, a pain searing through his body that should not have been possible as a spirit in an object. In addition to this he knew that his friend had a habit of spacing out, a habit that had grown to an alarming extent in recent times, growing from perhaps once every two weeks to once every day or so.

If they were lucky. Stranger still however was that quite often during those times, the blond would appear to either grow tense... Or even finish the very sentence one of them had been in the middle of saying, despite the knowledge more often than not being of private origin. An act that would quickly be followed by nervous laughter and a sudden change in the subject.

Jonouchi could see more than simply him though, he knew that much now. He had seen Bakura on the field during their match, spoken to his spirit and somehow convinced him against whatever plan he'd had. Perhaps if that was all however, he'd pass it off. Bakura held a spirit within the Millennium Ring just as the puzzle held himself so it was only natural.

But there were other, stranger actions that he'd noticed just in the last match. In Jonouchi's match. He didn't... 'Play' properly.

During duels and matches he not only managed to pass through a fight without looking at his hand, but also without touching the required buttons located on the disk itself it seemed, the blond merely waving his hand over the field in a gesture that most would do following the button's press. He would set cards without a glance or a thought and no matter what, it would be the card he stated it to be. Stranger still, his eyes followed empty space on the field as he battled, and when he took a loss it looked almost as though he'd lost a friend.

And it was true he supposed, that the cards had their own spirits. But the cards were still bound to the holograms on the field, never bearing a true physical body, existing to simply fight...

Was that really true though, he found himself asking. When Osiris had arrived during both duels, the monsters appeared to shift in their positions if only just slightly. Their feet touched the ground as shadows appeared beneath them, and they moved as though completely there, as though pulled into reality and given solid form. And when Ra had appeared the same thing had happened, or so it seemed. It was hard to tell given that Ra had been the only being on the field but nonetheless with the summoning of 'Fake-Ra', the feeling of intensity had hung on the air. Ra had appeared to arise in a pillar of light from the temple's ark, but as he grew and snarled above and before them his scales had suddenly begun to bleed black. His form had swirled into a vicious and imposing vortex with his own great and toothy maw at the center, and from it lightning appeared to strike the arena at random. Thunder clapped all through the air, the winds themselves fell flat...

And yet instead of reacting as expected, or even with minor shock at the very least, Jonouchi had spaced out just as he had a habit of doing so many times before. He'd stared forward with blank and wide eyes, taken a step closer to the immense dragon...

And if he looked close enough, it looked like he was speaking. A single long string of words, his attentions at the sky rather than his opponent. Words meant for the God above. And Ra...

Ra had answered him. He'd even cut the blond out from his strange blank stare, Jonouchi looking upward and appearing to hold a short conversation with the monster. And yet despite that knowledge he couldn't tell what Ra said. He could only watch as with each movement of its mouth the lightning struck, thunder covering the words completely. All he was left with was wondering why Jonouchi had warned Rishid against summoning the card in the first place, why he had warned him against angering God, when Jonouchi shouldn't have even known of the danger.

When he shouldn't have even known 'God' as anything more than an all powerful card. But more importantly as he thought he found still more questions coming to mind. Why Jonouchi had claimed to know the exact number of turns the duel would take was one, how Jonouchi had known that 'Malik' was never standing before him was another, and how he'd known the real Malik stood behind him...

_'I jus' had... A feelin'.'_

That was what he had said, voice hesitant and filled with nervousness as he gave the excuse to a friends. It was just a feeling, nothing more he'd said. Maybe he'd have believed him if that was all their was. Maybe if that was all he'd seen and heard, he'd have believed what he said and passed it off as his strange and circumstantial luck. But Jonouchi had blood on his forehead as he came down from the arena. He'd had scratches and scrapes covering him almost completely, arms seemingly covered with a hair-thin layer of stone dust. Injuries that hadn't existed prior the duel, conditions that had never been there. Maybe it was Ra; he had that effect after all, he had to. If Osiris was able to bring reality to the field after all then it would be ridiculous to say Ra didn't.

But Ra hadn't been summoned until the very end of the match and even then he had not truly made his presence on the field. The most he had done was shock Jonouchi into temporary submission, with not a single moment left to cut the blond's forehead, or bruise his arm. No...

Something was wrong, horribly wrong, and that was all it was. That was what had cemented further in his mind when he passed on Mai's message, when he'd found Jonouchi leaning against the wall in a fragile and clearly frightened state, a state he'd only seen during battles involving his life-long and irrational fear of the undead.

Mai would be fighting next, he had told the blond. The others had long since headed into the lift, with Yugi wondering where Jonouchi had gone as he himself left to find out the answer to that very question. And after passing along that message Jonouchi had stared off, not looking at his friend...

_'I know._ '

She would be fighting against Malik he'd then mentioned, the one who held the real Dragon of Ra... Katsuya had held his head and nodded, repeating the answer that was clearly not sarcastic and more or less filled with grief and fear.

_'I know._ '

She wanted to fight alone the boy had gone on, without the support of the others, despite the danger of the match and-

_'I KNOW!_ '

Something was horribly, horribly wrong he told himself after that outburst, the spirit's eyes having grown wide and frozen in response to the cry. There was no doubt about it. But he didn't know, he didn't know what to do now... Would a true friend force another to reveal what was wrong, despite how uncomfortable they clearly were?

... Or support him from the shadows and pray it didn't get worse than it had?

* * *

While the other Yugi stewed over these facts even from the sidelines of the field and Seto stood at the arena top to glare across at where Malik stood, Katsuya found himself holding his head from behind the crowd. It was a rather convenient niche in the arena's sidelines, the arena as a whole dipping out somewhat in the middle. And so long as no one turned around, no one would realize that he'd spontaneously developed a headache. The 'light' Yugi had been hidden away from the field for the moment of course, lest his spirit effectively be devoured by darkness. The effects of shadows was never healthy it seemed, and after the Duelist Kingdom Yugi's other self would take no chances.

Seto herself seemed to fight off her own symptoms with only slightly more ease than Mai, the woman visibly pale in the face despite the blank and glaring expression she used to hide that fact. Mai was far more obvious- she was pale, clammy, and while no longer shaking her determined expression was cracking little by little under the psychotic gaze from her opponent. There was little time to ponder on the reason why he wasn't effected however, as the duel had just begun, Isono's announcement to start made just in time for him to turn away with an ill look on his face.

Around him the voices were just as loud as before, Katsuya using just about every ounce of willpower not to plug his ears and tell the shades to stuff it. And yet as he forced the voices to the back of his mind, finally succeeding in gaining a silence of sorts, he found himself growing pale to realize that they had silenced themselves on their own. After all...

There was a duel to be had. And why bother speaking during one of those?

"Come on Mai!" Cheers had already erupted on the field, Katsuya coming somewhat closer to get a better view. "You beat me, you can beat him easy!" Ryuzaki shouted as the disks were set into position, cards drawn to each opponent's hand. They'd managed to break past the 'keep quiet' rule it seemed, with Mai not at all minding the cheers...

And while he couldn't hear the woman's shouts in response the look on her face and reactions of the crowd were all he needed, a lighter feeling coming up from within. But Malik...

Malik! His face seemed to stretch with every other word that he shouted across the field, his voice echoing and doubling with each sound. And with every word and sight of the bizarre doubling the cheer he'd somewhat gained was squashed down further. But despite all this, Mai was still going to fight...

And they couldn't stop it. No matter what they wouldn't be able to stop it, and her words made that all too clear. ' _Here I come,_ ' Mai had shouted across the field, Malik's maniacal grin growing in response.

_'In that case,_ ' he announced insanely, ' _Let the Shadow Game BEGIN_!'

Cheers surrounded the field as the duel began, Katsuya and Yugi holding an uncharacteristic silence as the former walked to stand beside his friend. Somehow with all that was at risk, he couldn't really get excited about this. Actually, he couldn't get excited at all...

Given that regardless of what happened someone would die. And that the chances of Malik being the one to die were depressingly slim.

"It's my turn!" Mai announced from above, setting a card on the field as Katsuya's attention was pulled from these thoughts. "I summon the Amazon Swordswoman in attack mode," She shouted clearly, "And set one card face down! End turn!"

All at once the shadow beneath the woman's feet seemed to stretch, first forming a black and featureless being and then fleshing out into the thick muscled and sword-wielding monster they'd seen prior. "What th' hell," Katsuya muttered in his breath as the summon came about, Malik chuckling darkly from across the field. There was no tablet to herald the Amazon's arrival, nothing at all. If anything the woman had quite literally formed itself from Mai herself, the shadow it arose from somehow still visible on the field despite the impenetrable darkness. And yet as a blank tablet formed to the side in the meantime he noticed that Mai herself was staring in confusion as well, eyes drawn to her chest as a light appeared to form from the center. The light was white, glowing, eerily reminiscent of the spirits he'd seen in his dreams...

And as a cord of light grew from that light it attached to the shadowed monster that had just been summoned, the woman appearing to immediately mirror her summoner's actions. "This... What is this?" Mai muttered, Yugi's own eyes widening as well as he followed the woman's gaze. Oh no...

Oh no no no, he didn't want to know how or why, but he knew what that meant. And as Malik explained the point of the 'cord' that appeared, he couldn't help but shudder in worry and fear both. "It's a life line," Malik stated with a sneer, the words parroted by his opponent with obvious incredulity. And as he continued to explain the cord merely pulsed, seemingly allowing something to flow from body to body. "This game... It's going to be the greatest game we've ever played," the Egyptian cackled, grinning wildly as he laughed. "A game where our monsters and lifepoints decide how long we live, where anything your monster feels is mirrored on yourself! The pain and terror... I'll take it all, anything!" he laughed, drawing a card and setting a separate one to the field. "And for my first monster," the Egyptian announced, his own shadow stretching and forming as the eye of udjat appeared across the shadow's brow. "The Executioner Makyura! I'll show you the fun you can only experience in the dark," Malik sneered, his shadowed monster mirroring his gestures as triple-bladed weapons appeared on its arms. "Into the realms of illusion and seduction... MAKYURA ATTACKS!" he roared, pointing forward as the soul-joined monster charged forward, "Now DIE!"

"Hn!" In an instant Mai tapped her duel disk, waving her hand as the single tablet on the field began to crumble to dust. "Activate trap," the woman shouted in response, "Amazon Phalanx!" A trio of warriors briefly carved itself on the crumbling stone, smoke wrapping around the stone as she continued. "Not only does it cancel your monster's attack, ending its turn," the woman explained, arrows flying from the tablet stone to pierce Makyura's limbs, "It takes 500 points off of its attack power! Now," the woman continued, drawing her card as the Amazoness appeared to mirror her movements, "The swordswoman attacks! Execution Blade!"

Ordinarily Katsuya was fairly prepared for what happened on the field. Heck as the Amazoness with eerily blank eyes brought her sword toward Makyura, he was finding himself waiting for the head to literally roll. But then he noticed that where the arrows had struck were now bloodstains on Malik's pants...

And as the swordswoman's blade sliced Makyura's head clean from its shoulders, he found himself gawking as 'head' became 'heads'. Makyura's head toppled to the ground with a dull 'thud', and just as blood spurted freely from Makyura's arteries, so did the blood from Malik's own. The blond's head clattered to the ground even while laughing, and as Mai screeched from across the field, hands pulled close, the chuckling continued to fill the air. The executioner vanished from the field, melting into Malik's shadow along with the 'soul rope' that held it in place...

But Malik's head, while sitting on the ground by the base of his neck, was most assuredly still able to speak. A sight that had Katsuya growing incredibly nauseous as Mai only just began to stifle her cries. "Hnhnhnhn... How exciting," Malik muttered with a grin, headless body moving forward to pick the head up by his hair. Slowly the head was tucked beneath his arm, staring forward with no troubles at all as his opponent continued to shiver. "That first hit was almost invigorating... Hnhnhnhnhn... Now..." Malik adjusted his grip on his head, moving his Makyura card to the grave as he went on. "I probably should have mentioned this before, but Makyura has a special effect... I can play and activate any spell or trap I want when he dies. But which one to use I wonder?" he muttered, blood continuing to flow and stain his body and the ground both as Mai's screams died to whimpers.

"Head... His... His head," those below could hear, staring as the woman shuddered in terror. "His HEAD..!"

"H-Hey... Hey, Mai!" Honda shouted with a swallow, Yugi and the others as well narrowing their eyes in slight confusion or suspicion. "Mai! Are you alright up there?" he asked loudly, slowing bringing the cupped hands back to his sides. There was no answer for the crowd besides those same shuddered gasps, and the teen looked back to the others with a slight frown. "What's going on you think..?" Ah... Besides the obvious? Er...

Obvious to him? "All that happened was an attack," Anzu muttered, the others attempting to encourage the woman and snap her from her stupor. "Just one attack, which she made," the woman continued, "And yet she's completely paralyzed!" Just an attack...

"Y-Yeah," Katsuya found himself muttering, blinking something wet from his eyes before numbly wiping it off with his hands. Red... Even in the darkness he could see... "Jus'... Jus' an attack, it was jus'..."

Yugi turned to look worriedly at the blond, catching the unease in his friend's tone only to freeze. "...J... Jonouchi," he whispered, breath catching for a brief moment. "Jonouchi you have _blood_ on..."

Oh god he needed to wipe this off..!

A new tablet appeared on the field, Malik's apparent decision in play cutting Yugi's whispered and worried words short. "Here we go," the blond decided, the stone crumpling to dust as it formed a new cord for his monster to use. "The trap card Rope of Life! Very useful for Makyura," he continued with a grin, the rope of light and spirit again raising from his shadow. Malik idly spun his head in his hand as the shadow rose, bladed armor gleaming dully as he chuckled. "Hnhnhnhnhn... This trap not only revives my monster," he stated darkly, "But it adds 800 points to his original attack... I have to discard my entire hand though," he added with a sigh, shrugging as his eyes glanced to the hand of cards he held. "Pity... But oh well.."

He moved his head back toward his body, appearing to screw it back into place as Mai and Katsuya continued to hold back their dinners in response. A loud crack came over the air as the Egyptian adjusted his neck, composing himself before making the necessary sacrifice to bring back his blade wielding monster. Cards were sent into the grave, and as the blond's hand was emptied out he looked across the field with a wicked grin.

"Now now... Just what's with that look?" he asked with a psychotic grin, voice far too calm to be normal. The woman across from him merely took quickened breaths, hyperventilating in panic as her opponent grinned. "So scared," Malik muttered with a chuckle. "It was your monster who cut off my head! Your monster who caused me this pain," he added, chuckling as the crowd frowned. "You should be celebrating, not quivering like a mouse! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Those below immediately frowned for the most part, Ryuzaki in particular narrowing his eyes. "Cut off 'his head'?" the boy muttered, shaking himself. "What the hell is he talking about..." What was he talking about..? Ahhh... Hahaha... That wasn't exactly something a person could easily describe..!

"Oh no... Oh no no no no no," Katsuya muttered under his breath, Yugi slowly looking back as his friend stared at the field. The blond's eyes were flying across the field as he pieced together what was about to happen, Malik's mad cackling filling the air and momentarily encouraging the prior screams to start up yet again. "I'm going to return the pain you gave me two-fold," Malik was cackling, pointing his monster forward despite the stains across his thankfully darkened clothing. "Go Makyura!" he ordered, the monster shifting from it's 'mirrored' stance to charge forward with a nod. "ATTACK THE SWORDSWOMAN!"

As Mai stared across the field in shock, it took a moment for reaction to set in. The scantily armed Amazoness was easy prey for the shadowed monster after all, particularly while standing as motionless as its master. And as Makyura's three arm-blades tore through the Amazoness' chest, he found his own eyes widening incredibly, staring at the timing of the wounds that followed. This wasn't supposed to happen, a voice told him in the back of his mind. This wasn't how the fight worked... This wasn't what the monsters were supposed to do. But as though torn by an invisible force Mai's corset gained three steady lines of shredded fabric in the same instant her swordswoman had, and as blood spurted from the wounds they could see her collapse to her knees in numb shock. No...

"Mai... MAIII!" he screamed, the woman before them staring at her shaking hand as the blood poured from her wound. That cut..!

With that kind of cut you weren't supposed to live, there was no way she'd be just take that and...

"What's going on?" the others were shouting through the screams that suddenly filled the air, "Why is she..."

"MAIIII! MAI, DON' LISTEN' T' HIM!" Whatever she did, don't let him mess with her head, don't let..!

"Hnhnhnhnh... As the monster is injured so will the master suffer," Malik 'explained' as he laughed, the woman across from him going into shock as she stared at bloodied hands before her. "Lose all your lifepoints and you'll die... But until then," he continued with a broad grin, "Your blood will continue to flow, and your nerves will continue to react... It's only an illusion!" the Egyptian continued to shout psychotically, "But you'll still feel every bit of pain... And that... That is the power of this game! HnhnhaHAHA!"

"Illusions... She must be seeing illusions," Yugi muttered with wide eyes, shaking himself in his shock. "It's as though she was hit by her own monster and-" The boy abruptly froze, staring as his friend stared forward with almost watery eyes. "...Jonouchi..." Katsuya ignored the steady stare he was receiving, the stare that others had forgone in lieu of cheering the woman before them on.

"Mai!" the blond shouted with a swallow. "MAI! You have to get up!" he screamed, voice laden with a desperation that had those around staring oddly as he pulled their attentions toward him. "You have to keep going," Katsuya shouted, "Even if that thing tears you to shreds!" Even if there was...

Nothing left...

"You can't let your lifepoints run out!" he chocked, the woman atop the field ignoring him as she continued to frantically attempt to stop her bleeding, "You CAN'T let..! It ain't real!" he shouted, ignoring the panicked breaths the woman gave from above. "They're illusions! Th' blood, th' pain, they're all fake! You have t' keep fightin', you have t'..."

Malik appeared to turn with those words, a dark and chuckling sneer on his face. "Hnhnhnhnhnh... How interesting..." Interesting? This guy found all of this interesting! "Only those directly involved in the game should be able to see this," Malik muttered with a cackle, the crowd narrowing their eyes as Katsuya swallowed. Shit... He shouldn't have opened his mouth... "You claim to see it..? You claim to see the source of the pain your friend is in? Without saying anything? Hhnhnhnhnh..."

"Gh..." Damn it... The blond bowed his head somewhat, his friend stepping forward before any questions could be asked.

"...MAI!" Yugi called out, narrowing his eyes. Though the woman still failed to respond the boy shouted as loud as possible, determined to make the woman hear his words. "This is a 'Shadow Game'," he warned and explained, "Illusions created by the fear and doubt within will fill the field, and they will test your resolve! Those who succumb to the illusions succumb to reality and thereby death," the boy announced, "So contain yourself! None of what you see is real, it's an illusion created from your own fear!" At this Mai slowly turned to the side, bloodstained face pale with terror. Those last words, combined with the constant, unending shouts had finally broken something, broken whatever shock the woman had from losing a portion of her very life.

"...Fear... It's created by my... Fear," she whispered, hands still fruitlessly attempting to halt the flow of blood from her chest as she held them close. ' _Come on_ ,' the crowd shouted, ' _Keep going, come on!_ ' And as the woman slowly stood, holding her hands to stare at them... "...Gone..."

As Yugi glanced just briefly at his friend, a grin had to come over Katsuya's face. Above on the platform the blood had abruptly vanished from Mai's clothes, all wounds and traces of the prior attack having vanished completely. "Gone... it's..." She'd done it! "MAI!" he shouted with a grin, the woman in question mouthing a silent 'thank you' to the crowd before steeling her resolve to look forward. "GO FOR IT! You c'n win this!" he roared, a grin on his face. He didn't care that the blood on himself and the field hadn't vanished... Or that Yugi appeared to again be barely holding his tongue, silently pondering the reason he could see this at all...

And as a monster wielding a chain and blade in her arms arose from Mai's shadow, it was evident that the woman had regained the will to fight, the woman before her taking a battle stance rather than mirroring her summoner's own 'duelist' position. "My turn!" she called out among the cheers, Yugi and Katsuya again silent as they watched the field. "I summon the Amazoness Chain-Woman in attack mode, and in addition set one card face down! End turn," the woman announced, blank tablet appearing at her side as Malik appeared to stare emotionlessly across the field.

The blond across from Mai appeared to merely tilt his head in idle amusement, drawing his next card and looking it over. "...My turn," he said almost blandly, before yet another wicked grin came over him. Though no wind blew beneath the curtain of darkness the blond's cloak seemed to furl about behind the Egyptian as the look increased, wicked grin across his face as a tablet arose from the side to carve into existence a bizarre and twisted device. A torso and head, covered in steel and black 'skin', from the bottom of which formed a brace. As the monster appeared however, by all accounts resembling a torturous head-lock device, it was Malik's announcement that took the crowd off guard. "I summon the Iron Demon, 'Viser Death'," he shouted, pointing the new monster forward, "And I attack your Amazoness!"

"Attack- It's only got five hundred points though," Otogi muttered, narrowing his eyes. "There's no way that can work!"

"So why the hell isn't it dead then?" Ryuzaki hissed, both Mai the two aware of the situation staring with wide eyes as the vice positioned itself atop the chain wielder's head. Slowly, slowly the device's pins moved forward, closing in on the head...

But just as soon as it had done this it stopped, merely sitting atop the woman's head as her summoner swallowed. So why... "Why th' hell isn' it doin' anythin'," he muttered, Mai and her monster both clearly tense with panic as the vice latched just slightly onto the latter's head. Across on the field the woman's opponent merely grinned, eyes narrowed with sick and sadistic mirth.

"Oh... You won't see anything from this guy for a while," Malik chuckled, gesturing to the monster across from him. "Not for three turns at least... And after that," he continued darkly, trailing off as the vice abruptly tightened.

"NGH-" Mai's face abruptly contorted with pain as the blunt drills of the device ground against her monster's skull. "Ahhh... AAAAAHHHH!" The woman's form buckled, hands holding the sides of her head as she and her monster both mirrored each other, mouth hanging open in an endless scream. "AAAAAAHHH!"

"What the hell," Ryuzaki muttered, Katsuya merely swallowing and turning toward Malik as the Egyptian explained.

"Three turns," Malik stated darkly, bringing a hand to his head in gesture. A slight drill motion was made, the blond's laughter continuing to fill the field as he cackled. "During those three turns," he explained, "The Viser will slowly squeeze about your head tighter and tighter, until finally it drills completely through the skull... And what your monster feels so will you!" No...

NO! "MAI!" he shouted, the woman still frozen in excruciating pain. Those at the sides could only stare with wide eyes, confusion more than evident as they tried and failed to make heads or tails of the situation.

"Why... Why is the monster's attack affecting her," Shizuka asked from the side, holding her arms close for warmth in the intense darkness. "Why is Mai..."

"MAIIII!" Come on come on come on, wake up! "MAI!" Katsuya roared desperately, "SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU NEED T' SNAP OUT 'F IT, C'MON!"

"Trapped," he heard Yugi mutter, the boy staring with wide eyes as he slowly shook his head. "She's completely covered," the boy continued, "If they keep going..." Katsuya slowly turned toward his friend, eyes wide and desperate.

"Yugi," he said quietly, the boy's eyes just as wide and fear filled as his own, "If this fight doesn't stop..." The boy merely grit his teeth, fists clenched as the eye of udjat glowed fiercely across his brow. Briefly it looked as though he was going to say something, but in the end it was the loud and grating voice from the field that answered.

"Really," Malik laughed from above, wicked grin set across his face. "You should explain these things to your friends!" he sneered. "No one can stop this game! Not without casualties... The moment I win, this woman dies," the teen cackled, face appearing to stretch and distort as Katsuya stared through a curtain of rage. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me..."

"Gh... Bastard... You MONSTER!" Yugi roared, the Egyptian above merely continuing to laugh at the crowd at the sides.

"Sweet sweet anger... Wonderful! So wonderful!" Gh... Nothing wonderful about this... "Yugi... Fuel that anger for me!" Malik demanded, grin widening and stretching with madness as he laughed. "I want to see the same anger I've held through life in your eyes when we battle, I want to experience every bit of it!"

"Gh... MALIK!" the boy snarled, only to be cut off by a weak and almost strangled voice from above.

"Yugi..." The group swallowed, turning as Mai winced and forced back another wave of pain from her mind. "Yugi, and Jonouchi as well..." Ah- Him too? "Please," the woman whispered, "This is my fight. Don't try to stop it," she asked, a pained and forced smile coming over her face. "I'm a 'duelist'... And I'll fight this guy to the end! I activate my trap," she shouted through the pain, tapping the dueldisk as her blank tablet carved and revealed its image. "Grave Arm! It allows me to send one monster to the grave-yard," the woman announced, ignoring Malik's chuckling as the hand spread across the field. The woman's opponent merely snorted, arms crossed.

"Hn! Too bad," he sneered, grinning darkly. "Viser Death is immune to such cards while in his 'stand-by' state... Your card is useless! You've wasted your turn!"

"Just who said I was using it on your monster," the woman growled, the tablet to her side merging into the ground below. From the ground came a fissure, rotted and cold hands pulling the monster attached to Mai and dragging it into the ground with no resistance whatsoever. "I'm destroying mine," she announced clearly, "The chain wielder!" The chain?

"...You... Your own monster?" Malik questioned through narrowed eyes, his opponent's expression clearing as the pain from the vice vanished.

"Correct... And because of it," she continued, a sigh of relief escaping her as her head cleared, "I can activate the monster's effect!" With those very words the ground cracked, the trap unable to restrain what was seemingly acting on its own. "The chain of death! By paying 1000 lifepoints," the woman roared, a chain ripping from the ground to embed itself into Malik's duel disk, "I can take one card from your deck!" One card... But that meant...

Malik appeared to tense as the chain bore its way into the duel disk, before watching as the clawed end retreated with a single card in its grip. "Hnn..!"

"The card I pick is Ra!" Mai shouted, evidently un-phased by the fact that the chain had snatched the God Card and sent it directly into her waiting hand. As fingers gripped the card tightly the chain corroded into dust, scattering to the winds while Mai smirked. "Your 'God' is now mine!" she roared, flashing the card across the field. "It's over!" God...

She got... "Hahaha... HAHA! YES!" he cheered, pumping his fists as he grinned. "That was great Mai!"

"Mai," Yugi added in through the shouts, "Keep at it! You're doing great!" She had a chance now! As long as Ra was kept off the field, she had a-

Malik appeared to only grin from across the field despite the loss of his card, face again appearing to stretch off from his own as he spoke. "You troublesome little wench," he muttered through his sneer, the golden card appearing to gleam in Mai's hand with a blinding light as they stared. "I'm going to make sure your death is more painful than before! HnhnHAHAHAHAAAA..!" Ghk-

Shit this guy was scary! Yet even with that his opponent kept her cool, adding the card to her hand with narrowed eyes. "Hn! Say what you want," Mai spat, a smirk coming across her own face as cheers again erupted from the crowd. "Before you manage to come even close to that," she snarled, "I'll make sure you suffer in hell!"

"Hahahaaa! She got God, she got it!"

"She was probably planning that from the start, incredible!"

"Alright! Mai!" Ryuzaki shouted, a grin developing as Yugi smirked from beside him. "You summon that God card," he continued with a laugh, "And you'll be in the-" Oh no.

"Mai!" Katsuya called out, the boy behind him tensing as he was cut off. "MAI! Whatever y' do," he shouted with a swallow, vividly recalling the God's words during the last fight, "DON'T SUMMON RA!"

As a deep rumbling seemed to come from the card in response to the words Mai turned, eyes wide with incredulity as the others followed her gaze. "Don't summon it?" Honda questioned, shaking himself as he turned on the blond. "I don't even play and I know that would be stupid!"

"'Ra' is supposed to be the strongest card," Anzu added, looking back to the blond with just slightly clouded eyes as her friend bit his lip. "Why wouldn't Mai summon it?" Why? Because if she summoned that card...

Mai appeared to shake her head as the blond beside the field gave no answer for the moment, instead drawing her next card to take her turn. "Hn! Two cards face down," she announced, tablets arising from the shadows behind her to sit blankly on the field. "And in addition to that, the Amazon Warrior," the woman announced, the monster arising from her shadow to take a stance nearly identical to her summoner. She stared blankly ahead, expression set into a scowl not unlike her summoner's determined one. "End turn!"

"Hn! My turn then," Malik sneered, reaching for his deck as slight growling came from the side. "Draw..." Hng... Malik appeared to study his hand from above, taking time to plan his next move as Katsuya grit his teeth. Mai was probably ignoring him the blond thought to himself, fists clenched in worry. He knew, he just knew that...

And when Ra appeared to the field... "Jonouchi," Yugi whispered from close beside him, the blond turning with a start. "Why did you warn her against Ra?" Why did he-

For a moment, Katsuya couldn't bring himself to answer. In fact as Malik summoned a blank, trap tablet into existence, he almost considered claiming it to be another 'feeling', passing it off as nothing but a fluke. But as Makyura charged forward for an attack, blades at the ready, he found himself speaking anyways.

"She's going t' die," he whispered, eyes again welling with tears as he lowered his gaze.

"Die..? What do you mean 'die'?" his friend hissed, glancing back at the field as Mai tapped a button on her duel disk. "Ra is-"

"If she summons Ra, she dies," the blond repeated almost bluntly, voice raising somewhat as the others stared. "Tha's what I mean! She doesn' even need Ra," Katsuya continued, half using the words as an excuse. "She has her monsters! An' if she sticks t' th'm," he went on, "Then she'll win... But if she tries to summon Ra..."

"...Tries?" the boy questioned in response, only for his attention to be pulled back toward the field.

"Activate trap; Amazon Curse Master!" Mai's voice called out, her trap carving into existence in a manner oddly similar to Rishid's trap monsters. Carved stone turned into a cross-legged and middle aged woman in robes, orange smoke furling about the stone. The smoke poured forward, misting and solidifying into the curse master's form, the woman narrowing her eyes and leering at the field around them before getting to work. "For this turn," Mai announced, the witch folding her fingers and steadily muttering a few words under her breath before sending a wash of smoke toward the field, "The attack of Makyura and my Warrior will switch!"

" _More like your souls dear,_ " the witch muttered, standing from the stone she'd appeared from as she slowly began to fade from sight. " _Just what have you gotten into?_ " she asked with narrowed eyes, tablet crumbling to dust.

But of course there was no answer, and as the card which heralded her existence was sent to the grave the woman who summoned her continued on. "Makyura is destroyed!" Mai announced, unable to hear the words of her trap as the warrior charged her opponent. With a single swift kick Makyura's head was snapped out of place, a sickening crack echoing through the air as the same happened to Malik.

The Egyptian slowly turned his head back as Makyura vanished into his shadow, a louder crack coming through the air as his head came back into place. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, the teen licking the fluid from his mouth with the bitten tongue in question and grinning as more of his maniacal laughter filled the air. This...

This was not good...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Such a wonderful feeling, an incredible feeling," the Egyptian shouted with psychotic glee, grin continuing to twist before them. "And even better, you've fallen right into my trap!" he cackled, the tablet at his side carving the image of a funeral procession before crumbling to dust. "Last Will! When a monster is killed," he roared, the dust of the tablet cloaking his disk, "I can draw five new cards!" The blond did just that as he grinned, giving the slightest of glances to his cards before grabbing one from his hand. "And of course, Makyura's effect activates," he announced clearly, Mai narrowing her eyes from across from him. "And for that reason," the blond continued, "I can play this! The Nightmare Wheel!"

Thunder erupted through the air as the tablet appeared, crumbling almost immediately after the image graced its form. The dust from the stone blew far across the field, wicked bone developing and morphing from the dust as a cruel spiked wheel appeared on its axis. The thorns in the center of the device dug painfully into the Amazon Warrior's back as it latched into position on the field, but despite this Mai managed to hold her tongue as she jerked and tensed under the onslaught of her spine. Blood dripped just slightly from her back from where it could escape the natural plugs formed from the wheel, and across from her Malik explained the device's effects, the amount of points she would lose with each turn...

Along with how the wheel would turn with it, pulling the monster under bone teeth and peeling at her skin. But as worried shouts continued to fill the air for the soon to be victim in question, Mai merely smirked and chuckled through her pain. "Hehehehehe... I have to thank you for that trap," she said darkly, sounding almost similar to her opponent as she tapped her disk. The second tablet at her side slowly carved into existence, smoke seeping from the cracks as Mai continued. "You've allowed me to activate my own! Dramatic Rescue," the woman announced, the image of a falling warrior appearing across the stone before it crumpled into dust, "Allowing me to trade your trap card with a monster, while returning the target to my hand!"

At this Malik raised his eyebrows a grin in place as the dust flew about the field and sunk into her shadow. "You plan to summon Ra despite wise warnings?" he asked through mad chuckles, the crowd and Mai both momentarily tensing at the words. Clearly Malik was enjoying the unease resulting from not keeping his mouth shut...

But Mai managed to steel herself rather than listen to Malik's words, the nightmare wheel instead pulling from the Warrior and crumbling into a dust that merged with the other trap inside her shadow. The Amazon herself melted back into the darkness as the trap took effect, Mai's 'soul rope' digging into the darkness at her feet. But as she looked toward her opponent the woman merely narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "No," she shouted clearly, "Thanks to Jonouchi's match I already know that Ra's power is dependant on that of its sacrifices... If I summoned Ra with this card it would be useless," the woman added, Yugi briefly narrowing his eyes as his friend's warning came to mind.

"Oooh... Clever are we?" Malik asked, chuckling under his breath while a second 'rope' developed from the woman's front. The woman across from him merely glared in response, taking a card from her hand as a new monster arose from within her shadow. "Hn! Just watch," she shouted, a blur shooting up from the darkness as the rope connected. "I have a plan... And on the next turn," Mai continued as the others frowned, "Ra will rise!"

Damn it, he really wished he was better at warning people about crap. Even so, as Malik ended his turn, the majority of the crowd was still staring in confusion.

"How," Honda was muttering, glancing at the others. "She only has one monster on the field, how is she going to get three?"

"I gotta pretty good idea," Katsuya said under his breath, swallowing as a birds screech pierced the air. Mai's favorite monster, with sleek feathers and long hair had flown from out of her summoner's shadow, but rather than displaying the usual snootiness of the Harpy it instead held a battle stance nearly identical to those around it. It was almost as though these were Mai herself, and not the monster in the card...

As though what the 'curse master' had said was far more accurate than he'd care for. But as cheers came from all those around him, Mai holding a steady frown, Katsuya still had to swallow a wave of terror. Don't do it he thought to himself, Yugi again halting his cries to turn to his friend as the feeling spread. Don't do it, don't, he mentally cried, the woman before them still speaking.

"The Amazon Warrior was merely a distraction," Mai was stating clearly, drawing a card as it came to her turn once more. Cards were exchanged within her hand, and a blank tablet rose from the ground as the next card was placed. "This card here... This is my most powerful monster," the woman announced, the 'cords' from her chest tripling as the ends dove into her shadow. "It's my turn now!" she continued, the tablet's dust burrowing into her shadow as two more arose. "I play the card Kaleidoscope, turning two harpies into three! And using these monsters as offerings," Mai shouted, setting the latest card on the field, as her shadows slowly settled before her, "I'm going to do just as you feared Malik!" No.

No no no...

"I SUMMON THE SUN DRAGON RA _!_ " she cried, the harpy each vanishing into pillars of light as the life-lines holding them burst into flames and disintegrated from sight. No...

No! Damn it, no! From the three pillars came one single light, filling the arena and causing his eyes to water. Damn it... "...Mai!" he shouted, somehow still able to stare forward even as thunder cracked and pierced the shadows above. "MAI!"

A blinding light had broken through the darkness in a single clean strike as the shadows swirled angrily around it, and as the light developed above the center of the field Katsuya found himself falling considerably silent. "Th-This... This is..." Mai stared with wide eyes, the crowd falling silent with awe as the light continued to illuminate the field. The blinding light was only barely dying down but even with that it glowed with all the brilliance of the sun. And despite this the woman's opponent was unphased...

Why would he, when the dragon itself refused to even speak for the moment. "Well well... Congratulations," Malik chuckled, hands held out in a 'congratulatory' gesture. "You've summoned God! But tell me!" he roared, an immense sphere only slightly visible from above the airship as the blinding light seared over the field, "Do you think you can control it?" Ra... This was Ra but...

"Dorman'," Katsuya muttered, fighting off a strange and almost numbing feeling as he abruptly gripped the railing for support. Spots were filling his eyes under the carved sphere's presence, but for the moment the power emanating from the 'sun' was more than enough to distract the others. This was Ra...

But Ra was dormant, unresponsive.

"Ra's dorman' form," he repeated under his breath as he shook his head, "This isn'..."

"Why... Why is the God Ra appearing as a sphere?" Yugi muttered, Malik's voice tearing across the field to answer with almost sadistic cheer.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... A pity really," the Egyptian laughed, his opponent slowly looking back to stare across the field. "Only a choice few can gain Ra's favor and fight along side him... Do you doubt me?" he continued, Mai narrowing her eyes as the Egyptian continued. "Well... Just look at the card! See anything... Different?" he asked, grin widening as another 'stretch' briefly hovered in the air.

The woman swallowed, blood draining from her face despite the strengthened front she'd put up. "Different?" Mai asked incredulously, Katsuya holding his head at the side in pain. "What could possibly be 'different'? The card belongs to the duelist," she continued almost angrily, "There's no reason for it... To..."

The woman froze, eyes widening as her gaze fell to the card on the disk, the image briefly flashing through Katsuya's mind as he was met with the same gibberish as the woman who summoned it.

"These words..."

"I don't suppose you can read hieratic?" Malik drawled sarcastically, Seto abruptly whispering something into her radio as she stared at the field. Translation... They were going to try translating it but- "Only those who can read the words of Ra's power can harness it after all," Malik continued, chuckling darkly. "The Dragon of the Sun doesn't simply fight because he is 'told'... Hnhnhnhn..."

Mai began to shake her head and shudder as the realization struck, eyes widening further as the crowd stared toward the sphere. Hieratic... That was the language of the card, that ancient Egyptian 'writing style' that came along side hieroglyphs.

But as all those around stared, attracted by Ra's light, words still formed in his mind, fogging over the shouts from above on the arena. "It's useless!" Malik was shouting in the distance, continuing to explain Mai's mistake. "Even Pegasus Crawford was unable to read this card, merely copying the words from stone. This God is different, special... To those who recite his prayer, he will lend his power," he announced, "Even from across the field!"

The crowd froze with that, faces falling. "What..."

At that moment, as Mai appeared to mentally collapse. From beside Katsuya, Yugi was gritting his teeth, Malik's laughter echoing through the air while the woman above paled even further. "Bastard," the boy growled, face growing red as the eye on his brow continued to glow. "From the very start he knew this would happen, that the summoning-"

The boy froze, as though realizing something important as he slowly turned to look at his friend. The blond did not appear to notice the gaze however, instead wincing as more spots filled his vision, holding back a shout of pain as he gripped his head.

"...That the summoning would... ...Jonouchi," he muttered lowly, eyes wide with worry and horror both as Mai placed a final face down card and ended her turn. "Jonouchi?" he asked almost fearfully, "What's wrong?"

Anzu as well seemed to turn, her eyes completely clouded over this time. "Jonouchi," she muttered, the gaze far to blank to be normal. "Are you..."

For the moment Katsuya found himself unable to care about the continued mind-control victim beside him. Instead his own eyes blinded themselves, lightning filling his vision as a voice seemed to whisper in his ear. "Viser shock," he muttered under his breath, the words shortly there after mirrored by Malik as the tablet and torture device appeared to the field. The device, a cross lined with a semicircle of glassy spheres and tesla coils arose directly behind Malik's opponent, the woman turning to look with wide eyes as the Egyptian cackled.

"Too bad," Malik was shouting, the blank tablet that had risen with Mai's card completely crushed by the device. "This card returns all face-down cards on the field to their hand!" Ohhhh no... Oh... "And with no God, no monster, trap, or spell to protect you," the teen cackled, the device appearing behind Mai as Katsuya looked up with horrified eyes, "The machine attacks directly!"

"No..."

"Wh-!" Mai's arms were gripped tightly in shackles before she could even comment on what was going on, limbs pulled across to the sides as her body appeared to be held in the style of crucification to those on the field sidelines. And as spikes gouged her arms to hold them in place, blood coating the steel bars of the device, vicious amounts of electricity were released. And through the blinding light released from the machine they could hear blood curdling screams coming through the air, the head brace of Viser Death latching on to join in as it bored into the woman's skull. "AAA _H... RAAAAAAAAHHHH! AAAAAAHHHHHHH_!"

"MAI!" the blond shouted, the crackling metal holding the woman's jerking body in place as she screamed.

"GH _RAAAAAAAAAAA! GHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_ "

"MAI!" he cried, the others staring in horror even as the electricity died down. The body that was so tightly latched to the device slumped as much as allowed by the shackles, head hanging limp as choking whimpers of pain escaped the air. Sparks still flew across the air...

The metal still steamed with heat, and worse... "You know," Malik shouted, a wide grin across his face as his eyes widened for what seemed to be the first time since his 'appearance', "This show isn't all bad... Even at the edge of death, pain is just a reminder... Just a sign that death hasn't occurred," he laughed, those below gritting their teeth in rage. "And now... For the ritual that will break even the darkness should I want it! God has three abilities," the Egyptian 'explained', cackling madly as those below stared.

Even as the Egyptian spoke from above he could feel himself slipping. Katsuya was holding his head again, a sudden but silent grunt of pain coming over the air as his eyes closed over. He could...

Hear...

"Now then... Allow me to show you the first of those three," Malik cackled, his next words clearly in a separate language despite his understanding of the sound. " _Great God of all he travels,_ " he heard, mouth opening on its own accord, " _Who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed,_ "

" _Who sails on th' evenin' barge of a million years,_ " he found himself muttering despite himself, " _Who is accompanied by Command, Perception, and Magic, whose Father is Nun, who passes life and death each day... Who battles with the dark serpent along side the God of Storms,_ " the blond went on, the closest to his sides slowly turning with wide and terrified eyes as his words mirrored Malik's own. " _I ask that you arise to my side, that you illuminate my path with your LIGHT... That you lend to me your power in this most humble of requests, that you protect me from my enemies ... I ask, of the great God RA,_ " he finished, eyes slowly clearing as he looked up to witness the sphere crack into the God's immense form,

" _ **And you are ANSWERED...**_ " The entire chant...

The entire chant, he'd repeated it, hadn't he? Cracks began to appear along the lines of the sphere as Katsuya stared, immense wings opening to bathe the entire airship in a cocoon of light. Still more cracks appeared along the wings as they spread wider, metallic and golden legs lowering behind the enormous ship as its mammoth and toothed beak opened wide.

" **YOU who hold the MILLENNIUM ROD,** " he roared, wings giving one single, windless 'flap' as he rose far above the field to stare at all those below. " **I ACCEPT your TRIBUTE and FIGHT by your SIDE!** " It...

It was actually siding with this guy! Blood drained from Katsuya's face as God announced his apparent pleasure, Malik's cackling filling the air as the 'sun' shone across the field. "AHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAAA! Gaze upon the true form of GOD and become blinded by his light!" he laughed, arms held out and open as the air stiffened and cracked under 'God's pressure. "For in this turn it will be the flames of the sun itself that burn this woman down... Hhnhnhahaha..." No...

The blond's senses cleared as he fought off the pressure Ra instilled across the field, slowly shaking his head as he swallowed. No, no, no! "MAI!" he shouted desperately, silently willing the woman to wake up and break free of the illusions so she could move again. This was a Shadow Game. That was what his mind told him and what Yugi's shouts had told him. "MAI!" It was a game where all attacks were as real as the sky around them, and where the loser would face punishment at the hands of the powers in the winner's possession. And tied up on the enormous torture device before them Mai was in the perfect position for sacrifice. She was held, forced to stand prone despite laboured breathing and weak gasps for air, and when Ra's attack struck it would be with all the force of the sun itself.

So it would have been without the powers of Darkness, and so it would be with them in play, an attack that relied on Ra's power rather than that of the items that it so sided with. ' _Burn,_ ' Malik was shouting through the thundering skies, time briefly appearing to slow to an abrupt stop as Ra began to prepare a blast of flames in its mouth. ' _Burn into ashes and let your soul vanish into darkness!_ '

"Stop this... STOP THIS!" Yugi cried, eyes wide with horror as he turned on Malik. "You've already won," he screamed, "There's no need to attack!" There was never any need, never!

But of course Malik was not one to do this. If anything the shouts and fear merely amused him more, his eyes narrowing with mirth as he stared down to the side. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Yugi... I want you to watch carefully," he stated with a chuckle, "To watch as your friend is sacrificed to the Darkness itself... And I want you to bring out all of the hate and rage I know you hold!" the Egyptian announced though his grin, eyes widening further. "Scars of memories sit carved across my back, memories my 'family' has watched over for countless millennia... So that when the Pharaoh returns, we can represent those memories... Generation after generation," he explained, "For years, this family has borne nights of darkness and pain, living in a land without the sun... Hnhnhnhn... HnhnhahahHA! AND NOW!" Malik roared, cackling madly as the others stared in terror, "Now," he cried, "Thanks to that carried hatred, unlocked and unleashed, I can EXIST! I, who 'he' thought would protect him," Malik laughed, "Who he thought could control me... I have SURPASSED my 'shadow'!" the teen roared, psychotic grin seeming to stretch from his face. "And I am free to do as I like... Free to destroy, destroy, DESTROY!"

This voice... Katsuya's eyes narrowed slightly, the cackling continuing to fill the air as he swallowed. Where had he heard it...

Where... "All that I see will be DESTROYED leaving nothing but DARKNESS!"

"Darkness," the boy beside him repeated almost mutely, swallowing as the crowd froze. Nothing but endless darkness, pain, terror... As Yugi stared toward Malik, seemingly frozen in shock, the order for attack was given with Katsuya snapping from his frozen state to charge forward. No...

He wasn't letting this happen he told himself, he wasn't... Shouts were filling the air as he ran, shouts that he ignored. Questions of what he thought he was doing, orders to get off the arena as he leaped onto the 'stage', threats to be disqualified if he didn't listen to those same orders. He didn't care... He didn't care, nothing was worth letting someone close die like this! The blond continued to run, charging toward Mai as the order was fulfilled. ' _ATTACK_ ,' Malik had cried, the God behind him more than happy to comply. ' _With the flames of the SUN!_ ' No, damn it... NO! ' _Die..._ '

"NO!" Katsuya pulled at the shackles holding Mai in place, the woman's eyes widening as Ra as well stared toward the blond. "I ain't lettin' anyone die!" the blond whispered, hot metal singing and burning his fingertips as he bit his lip. "'M not lettin' anyone get hurt, not again... Come on!" he growled, pulling at the chains to receive no luck in freeing his friend. "Come on..!"

"What... What are you doing?" Mai muttered, looking up at the blond weakly as he continued to struggle. "What do you think you're doing," she whispered, "Coming here..!"

"Th' hell does it look like I'm doing?" he snarled, pulling at the chains before dropping them with grit teeth. "We're friends... An I can't jus' watch y' suffer like this," he continued, red and burnt hands held in protest as he shook his head. "I can't jus' watch y' die!"

"You... But my life points," the woman continued.

"I don' care about life points!"

"But this," she coughed, shaking her head, "This game is just..."

"This isn' a normal game," he said clearly, eyes wide and serious as Mai stared in shock. "An' these aren' holograms," the blond continued, not knowing if he was whispering or shouting any more. "So stop arguing..."

"Not... You... ...You warned me," the woman cried, shaking her head as flames from Ra's charging attack already began to singe the field. "You warned me! And I should have listened, really, you don't have to do this..!"

"Tch- Don' pull tha' on me," Katsuya growled, narrowing his eyes. "My warnin's 'r too vague f'r anythin'... I ain't movin'... Not at all!" he shouted, the heat and light from behind becoming almost unbearable. "Y' hear tha'? Jus' try me!" Even if it meant...

Death. " **Why have you COME?** " Ra demanded, voice sending thunder through the air despite the cutoff from the world of reality. " **Why have you COME to SUFFER for what is another's FATE?** " Why? Katsuya grit his teeth, slowly turning to look up at the draconic and griffin-like monster with rage filled eyes.

Why not? "...Because I don' want this!" he spat, voice low enough that only Mai could hear him. "An' I ain't afraid!" he roared, holding his hands out in challenge as he looked up at the monster, "SO DO YER WORST!"

" **HMP! VERY WELL,** " the God thundered, flames erupting from its mouth as Katsuya's eyes were blinded by its light. The blond held them open nonetheless, watching as through the fires Ra began to 'melt'. " **PREPARE yourself,** " he roared, body vanishing into the flames as they shot forward in attack. " **For THIS is YOUR trial...** _ **LITTLE KING**_ **!** " King?

'Little' king..? But wasn't that-

In the blinding light he couldn't see what happened after those words. All he knew was that he was suddenly being pushed to the side, the blond stumbling to the ground and staring with wide eyes as Yugi, the other Yugi, took his place. And as the flames struck and centered on the boy completely, Yugi's face torn with rage and pain both. "Gh- RAAAA _AAAAHHHHHGG_!" Flames enveloped the boy completely, Yugi clearly fighting off the near-maddening pain as he turned toward the field. Eyes were red and bloodshot, the light and stylized on on his head still glowing fiercely as he snarled. "Gh... MALIK!" he roared, the field clearing of darkness even as the flames burned and left no mark. "With all your hate and pain... I'll take as much responsibility for it as needed!" the boy spat, breathing ragged and laboured as Katsuya stood with wide eyes. "But before I do I will make sure you burn in the deepest pits of HELL!"

The final bits of light cleared with those very words, the flames extinguishing themselves... And as his vision cleared the blond found himself running forward to catch the boy, his friend toppling forward with a grimace as he choked on his own breaths. "Gh- Yugi... Yugi!" he shouted, the boy weakly staring upward as he winced. "Y-Yugi..!"

More chuckling filled the air, the laughter no longer echoing as wind again began to blow. "Say what you want 'pharaoh'," Malik was cackling from the side as he grinned. "Soon enough I will crush your precious puzzle and vessel... And I'll scatter it into the void..."

"Gnnh..." Katsuya ignored Malik's ramblings, instead attempting to move his friend into a better position of recovery. The duel had yet to officially end. Mai for the moment was simply standing limp behind him, the 'Viser Shock' having vanished as her very life was drained from her body. But Yugi... "Yugi," he muttered, looking down at the boy as the blood from the match vanished from the area. "Why... Why did you..." The boy's eyes merely began to close over, weak breathing slowing to a more relaxed pace.

"...Jo...Nouchi..." Sleep... He was exhausted, he was out cold...

A shadow hovered over the two on the field, Isono's voice announcing the match result from across the field. Katsuya slowly looked up as the shadow hovered over him, holding Yugi tightly as Malik held the Millennium Rod forward. A blade could be seen at the end of it, a blade that for some reason appeared to be coated with dried blood in his eyes despite the gleam it gave off beneath the moonlight...

A blade that brought a single scream to mind as the blond swallowed. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Protecting his 'friends'... How pathetic," the Egyptian chuckled, grin widening as he licked the tip of the blade. "Perhaps I should end your lives right here and end your misery..."

Katsuya grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes and growling darkly. "You... I'm not afraid of you," he spat, the Egyptian before him seeming to drop the grin just slightly in response. Across his brow the eye of udjat seemed to flash, brightening, and those on the side who had come near seemed to freeze. But despite the feeling of absolute terror that the power instilled, despite the darkness still surrounding them, he continued to hold his gaze. No fear flashed through his eyes to betray his emotions and words, no hesitation. There was nothing but hate, anger, determination... "Not even now," the blond growled, face growing red. "I'm not afraid of you..."

A smirk grew on Malik's face, the blond adjusting the grip on his Millennium Rod as he loomed above them. "Oh... We'll see about that," he chuckled, turning to the woman at their side as Katsuya grit his teeth. "But for now," he whispered, lightly lifting Mai's head using the rod as a support, "I'm taking my God Card back." The statement was growled in considerable contrast to his general tone, the Egyptian ripping the card from the disk before setting it carefully in his deck. "You're lucky to still be alive," the blond muttered under his breath, "But in the end you'll regret it. It would have been better if you died here... Now you have to face the penalty," he sneered, grin growing widely as he chuckled under his breath. "And I know just the thing, just the punishment sitting in your mind... PENALTY GAME!" he roared, the woman before him collapsing on the spot as Katsuya stared. What...

But she had already been 'brain dead' so to speak, what did...

"Mai... You..." Rage began to build, the blond turning to stare at Malik with wide and murderous eyes as he shook. "You monster... What did you just do to her!" he roared, receiving naught but laughter in response.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Me?" the Egyptian laughed, narrowing his eyes as he replaced the end of his Millennium Rod's blade. "She did this to herself," he chuckled, smirk growing even further. "She knew the risks of the battle but she sought out the ultimate pain and pleasure in her heart... You have 24 hours," Malik continued, moving to leave the arena with a grin. "If you don't kill me before then," he trailed off, "Then this woman will never wake up, her soul devoured from the inside out... Hnhnhnhnhn..." Gh...

Gh... "I'm gonna do more than kill you!" the blond snarled in response, shouting after the Egyptian as he left the field. Yugi was carefully left on the ground as he turned, eyes wide as he continued to call after the disappearing psychopath. "I'm gonna make sure y' go through every damn thing y' put my friends through!"

The teen merely turned at that, smirking darkly as his robe fluttered behind him. "Oh please... Just relax," he drawled, rubbing the head of the Millennium item in his grip. "Soon enough, you'll have the opportunity to drown in darkness yourself... If you aren't already," he added cryptically, turning back to take his leave. Al.. Already..?

He was 'drowning' already..? From behind him the doctor and guards had arrived, the one to answer the call again turning out to be Dr. Kuzushi as the woman checked over Mai's vitals. Kyouko slowly attempted to rouse Yugi in the meantime, jumping back as the boy opened his eyes with a groan.

"Ah- He's awake!" the woman shouted, turning to the doctor behind her. Relieved shouts mixed with the worried ones on the side with that, the former maid continuing to shout to her 'partner'. "He's waking-"

"Yugi..!" Katsuya immediately came over to the boy's side, his friend sitting up as Kyouko momentarily stared before moving to help Mai onto the emergency 'board'. "Yugi," he repeated somewhat quieter, "You... Are you alrigh'..?"

The boy nodded, his friend moving to help him up as he took his hand and pulled him forward. "I'm fine," Yugi said somewhat quietly, choking as he regained his strength and looked up at the blond. "It's you, and Mai that I'm worried about," he continued, medics clearing the field with the woman in question on the board between them. "What happen-"

"Mai's out... Comatose," he clarified, before moving on. "It's not like th' others though," Katsuya stated, answering the question before it was even asked. "Penalty game... Malik inflict'd a penalty game," he explained with a swallow. "An' if somethin' isn' done soon..."

The blond fell silent, looking back at Yugi as Isono announced a fifteen minute preparation break for the next match. Damn it... All this going on at a game tournament of all things... "Yugi... Why'd y' do that," he asked, "Jump in front 'f th' attack..?"

"Hn! You acted first," the boy responded, a smirk on his face as he looked away somewhat. "Besides... I had... A ' _feeling_ '," he muttered with a calmer, quieter tone, "That if I didn't act soon the worst would happen..." The worst..?

For a moment, the two merely stared off in silence, as though to let the words sink in. But as Yugi again stared up at the blond, the others shouting out statements of checking on Mai while they left the field, he quickly began to speak again.

"Jonouchi," he started, an odd look coming over his face as he finally removed the self-made block on his questions. "Earlier, when Malik was summoning Ra... I heard what you said earlier," the boy stated, his friend tensing in response.

"What I said?" he repeated, Yugi merely staring in silence. "Whad'y'-"

"Jonouchi," the boy said clearly, the two now the only ones remaining on the arena deck. "While I can't know for sure... I'm almost certain that you were speaking in Egyptian." Egyp-

O-... Oh...

He had to say...

Of all the ways to be found out, he had sure as hell not expected it to be like this.


	25. Revelations

'Ra' was as expected a powerhouse of a monster. It was a monster designed solely for killing the opponents before it with as much speed as possible, with the ability to gain as much power as needed provided the proper sacrifices were made. Its power could be nil or infinite, and in addition to that it held more abilities yet unknown to all those witnessing it from the sidelines.

Having to chant in dead languages to activate the card however, would be troublesome. Particularly if she couldn't read it after she won it from the psychopath who was currently in possession of the card. There had been a lot that went on during the latest match it seemed, not counting her own temporary 'high' during Ra's arrival. First and most obviously there had been the darkness, creating pressuring mantle that had lined her lungs and scratched at her throat. The pain and rasping breaths coming out had her throat so inflamed that it had come to the point she momentarily wondered if she would still be able to create her 'cover-voice', the woman holding silent for almost the entirety of the match as a result.

Shortly after the darkness' arrival however, were the screams. It was jarring, almost terrifying even, to watch as Kujaku Mai screamed at what were mere holograms and words from the opponent. To watch as the woman stared at her hands like foreign and alien objects, with all the fear that one would have in the face of a firearm. To watch as a woman who she had considered at least a partially worthy opponent in terms of strength crumble into pieces right before her eyes. Briefly she had attempted to convince herself that it was due to Malik's presence, and that alone; after all she had reminded herself, the young man was clearly a sociopath, a person with no emotions save rage and hatred both. But disproving this, there were moments of clarity throughout the battle. Moments where Mai had no troubles dueling...

Moments when, with all the determination and drive of a true duelist, the woman chugged on forward through the fight. And by all accounts she should have won that battle...

If not for that little problem with the hieratic language. True, the woman had brought it to the field... But that was all. And with Ra's summoning had come a rush of power that made it impossible not to grin at the sight. It was a feeling that drowned out all others, a feeling that only increased as the great dragon took its true form. And it was only then when Ra was summoned to the field, when Ra's light illuminated it completely, that she found herself really looking at the events taking place before her.

' _Mokuba_ ,' she could remember whispering through the haze of power in the air, contacting her brother through the radio on her neck. The boy was currently deep inside the hidden room of the ship, the computer room which attached only to her own bedroom by thick steel doors. It would be safe in there after all, safer than any other room on the ship...

And as Mokuba told her that he had scanned as much data and imagery as possible from the card using Mai's disk, Seto had given her brother a single request.

_'...See if you can translate the text on that card,_ ' she had asked, her brother pausing momentarily. The text needed to be translated if there was any hope of using it after all; without it, it would never truly be 'hers'.

Mokuba had likely nodded on the other end as he received the request, and his answer had come just moments after. ' _Okay nee-sama_ ,' he'd said plainly, likely grinning as he started off on his work. _'I'll try._ '

'Try' was the most he could do really- The fact was there wasn't much known about the dead language of the Ancient Egyptians. Particularly not 'old hieratic', the jot-notes and sub-script of the scribes from the time. It was fragmented at best, and the modern world's knowledge on the matter were slim. But there was still a small bit of hope to gaining the translation...

A small scrap of hope, and with that hanging in reach even by a hair thin thread she would keep herself from feeling too stressed about the situation as a whole. After all the pattern of 'losers into comas' was all too suspicious to ignore, and adding the presence of a known killer only made things worse. Once Ra had vanished the events of the duel had come crashing into mind all to quickly, and her temporary cheer had quite swiftly and violently been torn into grating stress and confusion. The victims were one thing, given that Kuzushi and Syn had effectively worked more in one night than they had in the past year. Malik's words during the match however, did not help in any way.

_'Only those in the game should see this_ ,' he'd told Jonouchi, the blond visibly reacting as a result. As to what he saw no one could really guess, a majority of the crowd just as confused as herself. And then there was the warning that Jonouchi had given Mai, the warning that seemingly had no purpose...

_'Don' summon Ra! Whatever you do!'_ he'd cried desperately, ' _Don' summon it!_ '

It almost seemed to be a suicidal warning... Yet it was also a warning that Malik had acknowledged, and used against Mai. A warning that Malik had gone so far as to prove in entirety, with Ra's ability showing quite bluntly that Jonouchi's suspicions had been right on the dot. But where had those suspicions originated she asked herself, the lift she stood alone in moving toward the second floor of the air ship. How had Jonouchi known to warn Mai about a card he should have only just heard of, and why had he reacted to the duel as he did?

He was the only one unaffected by the darkness save for Yugi and Malik, but also the only one staring off about the field or holding his head. He had even jumped onto the arena before duel end, ignoring warnings of disqualification even in attempt to protect Mai from the final attack. Of course Ra's power was great, she would admit that. It would be foolish not to do so after all, given its rule over both Obelisk and Osiris. But it was still a hologram. A three-dimensional form of condensed light, affecting little more than the air around it. And besides that a hologram did not cause real injuries the last time she checked the testing.

Yet while glancing at the blond at the side of the field during that duel, narrowing her eyes as Jonouchi held his head, she could have sworn there was something dark on his shirt. Something wet enough to stain and spread through his clothing, the splotches standing out in stark contrast to the white fabric. And in the light created by Ra, that 'something' that was revealed...

Seto shook her head as she walked through the hall from the lift, pushing the thoughts from mind and instead swiping the key card to her room. This was no time to ponder the hows and whys of warnings she told herself, entering the code on the number-pad in order to enter. No time to question the sanity of a member of her staff, of a friend to hersel-

...To her brother she corrected, blaming the rush from the arena. It mattered little what the relationship was... Whatever bizarre behaviour Jonouchi was showing was tied to the duels and only the duels, and she could care less about his successes in that field. That was what she told herself now, and that would be what she told herself later. So long as he didn't start increasing the idiocy outside the matches, everything would be fine...

Not that she cared, of course.

It would just be too troublesome to deal with if that sort of thing happened really. The woman moved over to the small bar fridge at the side as her door shut behind her, grabbing a pair of drinks from inside before she moving toward the computer room door. There were more important things at hand, things that far surpassed her curiosity for the current situation. Kuzushi for one had contacted her just moments before with Mai's condition- unlike the others, who were merely unconscious, Mai was completely comatose. Barely able to breathe on her own, non-responsive in all manners of action...

Even pain did nothing, and it was all they could do to hook her up to machines that had been carried along in her paranoia. Three victims...

And while she was more than confident that she would win her next match, just what sort of duelist would that eighth one be? A madman like Malik, or Bakura? Or a pawn, like the Egyptian that now lay in the bottom of the airship.

Or even someone normal for once, it would be nice to see that...

The door to the computer room slid open after the proper codes were entered in, Seto stepping into the darkness and holding one of the drinks by her brother. "Mokuba," she said calmly, the boy jumping somewhat as he pulled headphones from his ears. Mokuba stared at the drink, slowly taking it as the music continued to blare from the headphones he'd held. So loud... "You shouldn't be listening to music loud enough for me to hear from the door," she growled, crossing her arms as she held her own drink. "You'll go deaf, or at least make someone else lose their ears."

"Ah-" Mokuba laughed nervously, turning off the mp3 player at his side. "Well, you see," he muttered with a cough, "I was just trying to focus and... Ah..." The boy swallowed as his sister continued to stare, instead opening the drink he'd been given and smiling. "...Thanks for the drink, nee-sama..." Hah...

She'd have to talk about this later... Back to the point.

"Have you had any luck with translations?" she asked, glancing at the numerous screens to the side. Lines of code scrolled down the side of each of the screens in the room, various windows open as multiple programs attempted to make sense of the card. 'Ra', the card in question sitting on the center window, looked every bit the griffon she had seen above the field. The monster's image reared on its hind legs, golden wings spread in front of what looked to be a tablet as the monster held its beak open in a roar. As for the text...

Scribbles.

Nothing but complete scribbles.

Her brother sighed, shaking his head as he took another sip from his fanta drink. "Nothing yet," he admitted, collapsing back in his chair. "But I've only started really... I'm trying a lot of internet searches while I work," the boy continued, cracking his neck, "With luck, I'll have something after your match!" After her match hn...

Well, the finals wouldn't occur until the next morning at the very least, so even after the duel would be good enough for her. If anything, it proved that Mokuba should be skipping a grade, though there were always his science marks to tell her otherwise...

Just as long as the Tenma brothers didn't contact her about breaches in online security regarding the card database. She wasn't in the mood to deal with those two right now. Speaking of the brothers...

She wondered, would they know anything about this card? If Pegasus had been as tight-lipped as Ishizu said...

Seto narrowed her eyes at the screen in the center of the room with those thoughts, the image of the card appearing to flash through her mind as she stared. Strange. It was probably the program but... The hieratic kept flashing, burning itself into her mind as though...

The woman shook it off mentally, instead glancing at the clock on the bottom corner of the screen. Duel start in ten minutes. There would be no need for a draw for the final match. She needed to prepare. "I'll be in my room," she told Mokuba, the boy nodding in response as his sister walked toward the door. "Don't over-work yourself."

"Ah- I could say the same for you nee-sama!" he shouted back after his sister, leaning over the chair with a somewhat worried look. "Make sure you take a break after this match!"

At this the woman glanced back briefly, before snorting. "Hn! I'll take a break when I don't have things like Malik to worry about," she muttered, walking out of the room. And only then she told herself, hanging her coat off the back of her chair before taking a seat. Only then...

With her luck, that would happen after hell froze over.

* * *

Rapid coughing was probably typical of a confrontation of this level. At least, typical of the one being confronted. The one doing the questioning more or less tended to hold a considerable air of confidence about them, and given the fact that this was the other Yugi's default emotion half the time, the fact that the air hadn't changed was to be expected. Even so.

As he stood on the arena and stared at his friend in silence it took a few moments and coughs for his brain to 're-boot' so to speak. Hell... He'd known he'd been speaking in a foreign language, but Egyptian? He'd been speaking EGYPTIAN? (Old Egyptian he'd bet too, seriously, what was with that country?)

"Gh... Ah... I..." Katsuya swallowed, attempting to piece together something at least partially intelligent to say. "Ah... Yugi, what're you... I mean..."

Damn it this was going nowhere. The boy before him sighed as his friend sputtered, arms crossed as a steady evening breeze blew past. The arena was clear now, with the sky almost just as. Few clouds hung over the air, and in the light of the moon the shadows were actually fairly discernible across the ground. Those shadows were also very distracting- Red-Eyes was out again, and he apparently liked flying...

A lot...

Uh... "I wasn't going to say anything initially," Yugi admitted, the blond beside him paling considerably as he pulled himself back to what most would consider reality. "If anything," his friend continued, Katsuya merely wondering how long the 'unsaid' things were held back, "I was hoping you would just talk to me about it on your own. But after the last match..." The boy again sighed, shaking his head and looking down to the side. "With what I saw, and with what you said... I don't think that not asking would be the right thing to do." Y-Yugi...

Katsuya again swallowed, bowing his head somewhat. With what Yugi saw... During the duel, he'd definitely asked about the blood so... "...You saw... ...Th' blood righ'?" he asked, glancing over his now clean white t-shirt. The stains were thankfully gone. They'd have been difficult to explain let alone wash out, though as to what else his friend had seen... He'd really rather not say anything before he knew what that was quite honestly. "Fr'm th' field... Th' blood from the field," Katsuya muttered, Yugi nodding slowly in response.

"I only saw blood on you," his friend answered, looking up at the blond with worry. "Around the same moment Mai began screaming. I could see the duel progressing under darkness," Yugi continued on with an almost expository tone, "And from Mai's reactions I knew it was a shadow game... But things like blood, or any form of physical damage really, those are all supposed to be illusions. To see real blood land on you," the boy went on, paling somewhat as he turned away. "To see that, despite not even being able to see what illusions Mai was being subjected to... I couldn't even tell where the blood had come from, and for a moment wondered if something had-" If something had-

Oh! Eh... If something had happened. Well, as for that something... "His head w's cut off."

Yugi jumped at the bluntness of the line, Katsuya taking a seat at the edge of the arena. There wasn't really much to say to the origin of the blood stains to tell the truth... Arteries spurted, and when Malik's had been opened up and set on 'bottomless' with the lifepoints, well...

He blinked, glancing at the clearly confused expression on his friend's face before coughing. "Er... Malik's head I mean... In th' first move, Mai's monster cut off Makyura's head," he explained somewhat hesitantly, "An'... When tha' happened," the blond continued, "Th' same thing happened t' Malik's, an'... Well..."

The blond fell silent, his friend staring in confusion as he registered the words Katsuya was awkwardly spouting in defense and explaination. "You saw his hea-" Yugi blinked, staring at the blond a few more moments before speaking. "...How can that even be possible," he muttered, shaking his head as he narrowed his eyes. "Even those with Millennium Items can't see the inner working of a shadow game when they aren't a part of it," the boy explained, arms hanging at his side as he took a seat beside his friend. "I mean... We can see a little 'clearer', picking out the signs that the game is more than just 'child's play'," he continued, "But we aren't able to see the illusions cast on the field..." Yugi appeared to again stare off at that, frowning as he looked up at the skies. "Hnn... ...Maybe... ...Jonouchi?" he asked seriously, narrowing his eyes and turning back to his friend. "Was there anything other than the ring or puzzle, anything you came in contact with?" he asked, "Anything that you kept that was golden, or perhaps simply ancient in origin that-" Wait- Golden...

The Millennium Items! "Wha-" Katsuya choked, turning to his friend with wide eyes. "Somethin' gold, wh- No!" he shouted with a start. "Hell no!" he added, shaking his head and laughing nervously. "You... Are you kiddin'?" he asked nervously, "I mean... I'd drop anything like tha' quicker than m' dad's cooking..." Not to mention hot coals...

He again shook his head, falling back onto the arena deck with a slight wince and staring at the clouds and stars above. Far out from the city, the sky was much clearer. It made his head feel a little better too, now that he thought about it. Staring at all those stars...

"No Millennium items then," Yugi was muttering, crossing his arms as he continued to sit. Katsuya looked back down from the stars, staring while the boy continued to speak. "I just don't see how this is possible," he said incredulously, shaking his head. "I was already curious about how you could see me, let alone Bakura," the boy continued as Katsuya again paled, "But to be privy to any and all shadow games occurring around you... And the Egyptian," he added, looking back to the blond with a frown. "That in itself is... Completely..." Inexplicable? Bizarre?

The blond nodded, a slight frown on his own face as he again looked at the stars. "Heh... Yeah. Tha'... Tha' one w's new," he said with a swallow, scratching the back of his head as he coughed. "Tha' one didn' happen 'till t'day so..." Well, he was pretty sure it hadn't anyways...

Yugi stared at his friend, face twisting with worry and curiosity both. "...Could you tell me about what has then?" his friend asked, the blond looking back with a just as hesitant stare. Tell him about all this... Hell. There was so much to tell he didn't even know where to begin. How to begin even! The duel monsters, the dreams, the visions... After all it was one thing to explain what Yugi had found out, but everything else? Maybe he told himself, maybe he could still keep the duel monsters a secret. Maybe their duel could still progress as planned, with no worried interruptions, no fears of un-wanted injuries. Hell, Yugi didn't say anything about random and inexplicable injuries right?

...Riiiiiight? Katsuya continued to mentally reassure himself of this as his friend looked away at the stars, nodding somewhat as a smile briefly appeared on his face. Yeah. That would be fine. So then, if he just let off a little bit of steam, maybe it would make that part a little...

Easier. A little easier to deal with and hold back just until this was over. Yeah... "...Hey... ...Yugi?" he asked after a moment, turning to the boy as his friend also looked back. "...Can I tell y' somethin'?" he began, voice somewhat hoarse under the whisper he used.

The boy smirked, nodding his head. "Hn! I thought you'd never ask... Go on," he said with a smile, holding his gaze. Right... Right well. ...He wasn't going to mention any precognition, that felt a little like saying 'if I cheat, it's not my fault!'...

Though he never did get any 'helpful' flashes during a match, and no one seemed to notice him not looking at his cards...

Still, that wasn't the point. "I get weird dreams," he said plainly, looking back to the sky as the words began to come out. "Crazy dreams, dreams tha' 'm pretty sure mos' don' deal with... They don' make any sense at all," he continued with a swallow, "But in a way..." The blond sighed, shaking his head as he looked back to his friend. "It's hard t' explain... F'r th' most part I'd just be floatin' in th' dark," the blond muttered with a glance at the sky, "Hearin' bits 'f conversations tha' don' make sense... Hell one time I heard _me_ ," he added, the frown deepening for a moment. That particular 'conversation' had been the demon-snake-ghost dream too...

And he was sure as hell glad he didn't get repeats. Of course...

"An' then there w's las' night... When I got knocked out by th' ghouls, an' Red-Eyes w's taken," he explained, "Th' dreams changed..."

"Changed?" Yugi asked, expression showing clear confusion at the sudden admittance.

Katsuya nodded despite the hidden, yet fairly obvious dis-belief before continuing on. "Yeah... 'Changed'," he repeated, before continuing on. "I w's sittin' in th' desert with all these goats... Talkin' t' this kid abou' some kinda village, I dunno..." Something about a village of outcasts... "Heck," he laughed, a small grin appearing on his face only to die into a small frown. "If he didn' tell me t' wake up I'd 've missed the tournament..." And when that came to mind again...

He had to wonder, would he wake up from the next one? After all...

"...On th' arena, after Ra attacked," Katsuya began, sitting up to stare at the ground in silence. "I didn' say anythin' 'f course, but that was kinda how my dream went while I w's out cold. I w's in th' desert again, some desert village, talking with a bunch 'f kids... I didn' even realize it wasn' real," he said with a fear filled swallow, turning wide eyes back to his friend. "I didn' realize it until I said somethin' tha' wouldn' exist there, 'till I mentioned th' word 'duel'... An' righ' after that all I could see were these ghosts," the blond continued in a panic, "Nothin' but ghosts, all 'f 'm shoutin, an cryin' at me... Some usin' m' friend's voices, others using Shizuka's, an other's jus' using voices I can't ev'n r'member! An' I couldn' wake up," he continued, eyes narrowing as he thought back to the dream. It felt more like he was describing a child's nightmare, like he was just some small kid again.

Yet when he thought about it...

"...Kept shoutin' at 'm t' jus' let me go," he muttered almost blankly, turning away again, "But all they did w's scream abou' a promise..." When he thought about it... What was up with that?

What on earth did it mean? Yugi seemed to be just as confused as his frriend was, the boy staring in silence for a few moments before finally speaking. "A... A promise?" he asked, tilting his head somewhat in confusion.

"Yeah... Weird huh?" he muttered, shrugging as he stared at the ground. "I don' ev'n know what they were talking about... Heck," Katsuya added with a frown, "If it wasn' f'r that other ghost pullin' me outta there..."

This seemed to just get Yugi even more confused really, the presence of an extra, benevolent spirit resulting in a continued narrow stare. "Ah... There was another ghost?"

The blond nodded, still staring at the ground. "Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I don' get it either..."

"...I... I see..." There was a short span of awkward silence the two staring at each other for a few moments. Maybe it was because of how bizarre everything was... Or just because there were friends.

But Yugi more or less seemed to believe him for the moment, even if he likely knew something was being held back. "Jonouchi," Yugi said after a few moments, still staring as his friend looked back. "Forgive me for saying this," he admitted in the usual, unintended blunt tone he held, "But you have very strange dreams."

Katsuya couldn't help but laugh at that, the blond finding himself raising his eyebrows a moment and turning away awkwardly. "Hah! Yeaaaah... Tha's..."

"The dreams are strange," Yugi continued, "But I imagine that it took a fair amount of courage to share that, along with trust. I might not know what this means myself," he added, a slight smile on his face as he stared at his friend. "I'm glad you told me. So-"

Damn it, he couldn't keep secrets from this guy.

Maybe about the duel monsters, but the freaking dragon was glaring at him.

And so was kuriboh.

"I saw th' Black Clown fire b'fore it happened," he blurted, Yugi jumping in response.

"W- You... You saw..." Well...

Here it went. "B'fore th' fire, jus' a little after we left... There w's a flash, a burnin' buildin' in my vision. It w's jus' a few seconds," he continued, "But when it act'lly happened... I... Th' dreams I have," Katsuya went on, holding his head in his hands, "Th' dreams I have... They don' always happen when I sleep. I get these flashes, these li'l moments where I'll jus' see somethin', hear somethin'... When I draw a card, I know what it'll be, and half th' time, when I turn th' corner, I know who I'll see on th' other side... I... I can' even blame it on th' tablet tha' Seto-chan saw in th' museum," he laughed forcefully, looking up at the sky as he shook. "I can' do anything like tha'... B'cause ev'n b'fore that, at the Duelist Kingdom, I wound up dreaming abou' th' path I would take in m' bare feet on my run in th' castle... I saw it righ' down to th' las' flower," Katsuya went on, turning to his friend with wide eyes. "These... These dreams, I mean... I didn' want t' say anythin', since for all I know this'll start happenin' on th' field and I'll never duel again, but I... I..."

"J-Jonouchi..." Yugi continued to stare with wide eyes, watching as the blond beside him gripped his head in his hands. "All this time... ...So... Those times you were spacing out..."

He nodded, swallowing as he continued to stare at the ground. "Yeah," he rasped, voice sounding almost broken. "...I... I'm sorry... 'M sorry I didn' come out abou' this," Katsuya said quietly, shaking his head. "I thought... Tha' if I waited 'till after th' tournamen', after our duel, I wouldn' have t' make y' worry. I mean... I don' even know why all this is happenin'," he 'laughed,' shaking his head. "I can't figure out when it really started, or why... I jus' wanna know why," the blond shouted, "Why all th's 's happenin', why it has t' happen an'... An' I..." Katsuya turned to his friend, expression morose and considerably more depressed than the usual grin. "I... I wanted t' be able t' tell y' tha'... But when y' say tha' I'm speakin' in dead languages, an tha' blood's showin' up on my shirt... I guess I can' do tha'."

There was more silence as the two stared, Yugi eventually nodding as a smile returned to his face. "...It's alright," he said calmly, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "All of this... I can't even begin to think of the 'why's myself, but really... I'm just glad you're alright," the boy told him, staring. "Besides... This explains more than enough for me to be able to stop worrying; why... I was almost ready to ask if you were still up to our duel," he added in a joking tone, a grin forcing its way onto Katsuya's face.

"Gh-! Oiii, don' ev'n joke abou' tha!" he laughed, shaking his head. "Me, give up on tha'? You've still got Red-Eyes!"

The boy continued to smirk, nodding. "Of course! ...Jonouchi," he continued, turning away slightly. "Again... I want to thank you for telling me all of this. Suddenly all those moments where you finished our sentences makes sense," he chuckled, before paling. "And the warnings... ...Jonouchi, did you foresee-"

"...We should go check on Mai," the blond said rather abruptly, scratching the back of his head as his friend slowly nodded in understanding.

The two boys hopped down from the arena, Yugi stowing his hands in his pockets as he followed behind the blond. "Right," he muttered, heading for the lift and pushing the 'down' button before waiting. "I understand... Ah... ...Jonouchi?" he asked, turning back to the blond. "If it's alright with you-"

"You c'n tell Yugi... 'Light' Yugi... Er..." Damn it, needed better names... "Th' other one," he said with a slight smirk, shaking himself as the boy nodded. The doors to the lift opened wide for the two, and as they walked in the blond continued. "I'm alrigh' wi' that... You two aren' really th' type t' keep secrets from each other," he said with a just slightly humored tone, before growing somewhat pale. "Er... If you could do me a favor though... An' not tell anyone else abou' this, that would be really... I mean, i's pretty awkward an'..."

Yugi again nodded, lift doors shutting tightly behind them as they were left to stand under the bright fluorescent light. "Your secret is safe with me," he responded, pushing the down button as the lift began to move. A few moments passed as his eyes dulled over, the boy soon looking back to Katsuya with a slight frown. "...You're sure you have no idea as to what might be causing this?" he asked again, his friend shrugging.

"Er... Pretty much," the blond answered, staring at the floor with a frown. "I mean, I c'n trace th' firs' big dream t' th' duelist kingdom, but any time before that..." Well... In all honesty the furthest back he could get in terms of weird 'ghost' things was the Monster World game, with that near-death experience he'd had in what he was pretty sure was Seto's soul. But wait...

No, he told himself with a frown, crossing his arms as the lift slowed to a stop. There was that one other time...

_'How_ ,' she had shouted, despite her body being locked in a 'coma' and her lips being unable to move. ' _How can you hear me when my own brother cannot!_ ' He'd heard Seto while she was completely out cold, locked in a vegetative state, while her soul was...

Well, wherever souls went in a penalty game. But why? Why did all of this happen?

The lift doors opened before them, the boys moving toward Mai's door with considerable caution. The room was directly beside Yugi's, but the real issue was in the one that was beside and across from it. Namely door number '4'. The boy's both steeled themselves, passing by Malik's own room in complete silence before lightly rapping on the 'number 5' door with a swallow.

"Er... Hey. Guys?" Katsuya 'shouted', looking nervously behind him as he forced the shout to a lower volume. Another knock pealed through the metal, the blond rubbing his head. "...Guys? Woah!"

"Hey, pipe down will you!" The door abruptly opened, Ryuzaki stepping back from the button with a slight frown as he let the two in. As the pair looked back he shrugged, shaking his head and sighing. "Sorry about how long that took," he said with a swallow, peering out into the hall before shutting the door behind them. "But we need to keep quiet. The doors are being automatically locked for the safety of everyone inside- At least, that's what the guy on the PA said," he continued with a shrug, before looking over to the bed. "What with Malik being on-board, and what happened here... Well... We had to be let in by Dr. Kuzushi," he said quietly, wincing somewhat as he stared at the woman. "To put it in perspective... Man... This tournament. It's really gotten out of hand," the boy muttered, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

"Well it certainly doesn't help that we have a wanted sociopath with a cursed object under his control one door down from us," Otogi muttered, the others pulling faces at the unneeded reminder. "I mean, in all the research my Dad made me do on those items the most I found out about the 'Rod' was that it held 'unnecessary ties' to darkness; that thing is considered the black sheep among even the other items! To know that it's in control of someone like Malik... Ghk..."

The teen gave a shudder, a few of the others turning at that. "Yeah... About that," Honda said from the side. "Jonouchi, wasn't Kaiba supposed to run checks on people before they came in?" he asked as he frowned, the blond mirroring the expression rather blankly in response.

"Y' know," he said sarcastically, "Somethin' tells me, dunno what it is, but I'm pretty damn sure S...Kaiba," the blond corrected swiftly, "Didn' let 'm on with this in mind..."

"Nope... Just 'Ra'," Ryuzaki muttered, the others turning with raised eyebrows as he shrugged. "What?" he shouted in protest, ducking under the looks he was receiving. "I can't be the only one who saw the look on his face when Ra was summoned! I mean, that thing mind as well have been some kind of concentrated caffeine rush with the way he was-"

The boy was quickly silenced by a glare from Shizuka, ducking down again before looking past the girl and at the bed. Machines pretty much surrounded that corner of the room where they all stood. Heart monitor, a monitor for breathing... They'd even had to force a tube of sorts through the woman's throat, allowing her to breath without her own tongue blocking the air way. Her eyes in the meantime were closed over, eyelids pulled down for the sake of both the patient and any who saw her. Mai...

Katsuya slowly walked over, formerly sarcastic expression falling flat in lieu of intense worry as he stared at the woman. "...Mai... Is she..."

"She's not waking up," Anzu responded quietly, shaking her head from the side. "As it is," the woman added in worry, "The doctor said she's not sure if she ever will..." Never... Never wake- "There's a lot of unexplained internal damage apparently," she continued, staring worriedly at the woman's motionless form."And while they've done what they could, she needs to get to a hospital if she stands any chance... They figure that if she doesn't, they'll only have her in the 'recovery' zone for twenty four hours..." Twenty...

Twenty four...

Oh god... Shizuka's face twisted at what was likely a grim reminder, the girl bowing her head as she bit her lip. There was so much wrong here, with the tournament, and with the competitors...

And yet there was so little they could do...

_-Attention Duelists,-_ a voice called through the PA at that moment, only a few in the room turning in response. _-The Fourth Semi-Final match is about to begin; competitors Kaiba Seto and 'entry eight'-_ , Isono continued, the final competitor having obviously requested anonymity, _-Are required to be present at the arena within the next five minutes. All those wishing to witness this event are encouraged to leave for the arena now,-_ the man went on, _-As lift doors will automatically lock with the Duel start._ -

A loud click came through the air following the announcement, the crowd staring at the PA briefly before sighing. "Even the elevator's got automatic locks," Ryuzaki muttered, staring at the PA and shaking his head. "Man... This is all just so screwed..." Yeah...

Yeah it was... "I'm watchin'," Katsuya said quickly, turning to leave the room with Yugi at his heels. The blond tapped the button to the side, door hissing open as he looked back. "You guys comin'?" he asked, watching as the others began to move toward them with nods.

"I know I'll be coming along," Anzu said with a slight smile, eyes again appearing slightly glazed. Briefly Katsuya frowned, the small flame of the Millennium Rod curling up on Anzu's shoulder as it ducked under the blond's stared. Weird... Why would she need persuasion to go and watch the match...

The blond's thoughts were cut short, Honda and Otogi moving past with nods and momentarily brushing by the teen's shoulders due to the space. "We'll come too," they decided, the taller opening the door as he spoke. "This unknown 'eighth duelist' deal is bugging the crap out of me... I didn't even know you could enter something like this anonymously..."

"I'm pretty sure you can't," Otogi muttered, the pair heading for the lift. Shizuka in the meantime simply nodded, her friend pulling one of the chairs over and collapsing into it before the girl spoke.

"Keichi and I are staying here," she said with a slightly worried smile, bowing her head somewhat. "Before I came here," the girl explained, "Mai-san encouraged me to remove my bandages, and helped me work up the courage to do so. But right now," she continued, "Mai-san is fighting alone, and she can't defend herself from whatever might happen... I want to make sure she gets through this," Shizuka stated seriously, Ryuzaki nodding in agreement from the side. "No matter what... I want to do something..."

"We technically shouldn't be here anyways," Ryuzaki added with yet another shrug, shaking his head. It was fairly obvious that in the current situation there was no hidden intention here after all, so there was no visible unease in what he said. "Besides, it's not like we're really connected to anyone in this next fight," he went on, crossing his arms. "We'll be more useful here." That...

Right. Katsuya nodded, turning to leave the room as the two continued to sit. "Got it," he said quickly, leaving the room with the others as the door closed over. "...Let's go!"

* * *

There was a TV in the room they sat in. Technically there was a TV in all of the rooms actually, each one equipped with numerous basic channels and film options. In addition to this the duelist's rooms had a bed and bathroom, along with a bar-fridge, a coffee table, two chairs... All the essentials of a hotel room.

Though the similarities between this room and the one he'd had in Tokyo were all a little disturbing to say the least. Still, despite all of this not a single thing was touched save the two chairs, neither person in the room seeing any point in picking up the remote. If anything the action would be beyond disrespectful, an action that was largely unforgivable.

Keiichi leaned back on his chair as the time slowly ticked away for the next duel to start, staring at the motionless body before them. It was currently taking a fair amount of will power to not think about the fact that Mai was naked under those blankets, given how tightly the blankets had been wrapped around her... An especially large amount actually, though since Shizuka was in the same room it was probably a little easier. Pissing Shizuka off would not do him any good after all, particularly in this situation. Which reminded him... "Ah... ...Shizka?" he said after a few moments, the girl turning toward him with blank and somewhat red eyes. "I... I know this isn't the best time," he started rather nervously, "But... I really need a place to sleep, and..."

"A place to slee-" The girl frowned, straightening herself as she looked at the boy. "Keichi, I thought you asked Yugi about that..." Errr... Not... Really...

"Ah... I was going to," he coughed, "But then I realized that it's... Well, Yugi," the boy protested, "Which kinda makes it awkward and..."

"...Awkward?" the girl asked flatly, raising her eyebrows as Keiichi turned.

"Well... Yeah! I mean, he's kinda the number one duelist in Japan now," Keiichi continued, shaking his head, "And combining that with the fact that he's got the same card I gave your brother, it's just a little..."

The boy froze, his friend slowly scowling as she clenched her fists. "Ooooohhhhhh..." A smack came through the air, Keiichi wincing as his head was subject to the expected flick. "Keichi," the girl shouted, crossing her arms. "You can be such a kid sometimes!" What?

A kid! "O-Owww..!" The boy rubbed his head, wincing as he looked back to his friend. "Geeze, Shizka..! What the hell was-"

_-click_

What the hell was that. The two abruptly froze as the sound hit the air, turning as the door slowly clicked open from behind them to hiss open. That... That wasn't possible, the doctor wasn't...

"I thought the doctor had the only key," Keiichi muttered with a swallow, standing up from his chair with wide eyes. The person on the other end of the door was quite obviously not Kuzushi after all, and there was no time to take chances.

Shizuka nodded as the boy stood, also standing up as a woman walked in from the hall. "Sh-She does," Shizuka said nervously, "So how..."

"Don't be afraid," a calm, accented voice stated, a woman in white coming into the room as she clicked a veil from her face. The woman's headdress was decorated with gold, bracelets around her wrists and shoulders and a thin, simple torque of sorts around the woman's neck. With dark skin and darker hair however, it was more than clear of her relation to the other Egyptians in the tournament. Yet despite that the woman's warnings were preventing the two from jumping for the phone to call for help, both young teens simply swallowing in unease. "Do not fear," the woman repeated as the door shut behind her, veil gripped lightly in her hands. "My name is Ishtar Ishizu... Chief Officer from the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt," she stated plainly, "And eighth competitor in the tournament." Ishtar? As in...

Malik Ishtar? ...Waaaait...

Besides that, did she just say- "You're the eighth duelist?" Keiichi asked, shaking his head as he stared. "But... The announcement..." The one that came four minutes ago...

"Shouldn't you be on the stage?" his friend muttered, stepping back as Ishizu came close.

The woman merely shook her head, expression more or less blank. "I'll make it in time," she said calmly, moving toward the bedside before freezing as Keiichi stepped in her path. Ishizu appeared to stare for a few moments as the boy stood, expression unchanged. "...You..."

"Hey... I don't know who you are," he said flatly, growling somewhat under his breath, "And just because you say you're alright doesn't mean you can just come over and-"

"I wanted to see if there was any way to repair my brother's damage," Ishizu stated, the others freezing at the confirmation of relationship. "...I... ...You see," the woman began, hands rubbing the torque around her neck, "Like my brother I wield an ancient object known as a 'Millennium Item'... The 'Tauk'," she continued, turning to step past the boy and look over Mai's body. "It grants me precognition," the woman explained calmly, "And it was by its powers that I unlocked your door."

Okay... What. "...You unlocked the door with a-" Keiichi shook himself, instead turning to a more important matter as he narrowed his eyes. "Hang on... You're that maniac's sister?" he asked, jabbing his thumb toward the door as Ishizu nodded in silence. "...Shit... I sure as hell don't envy you," he muttered, before ducking back under a glare from Shizuka.

Shizuka held the glare a few moments more, before turning back to the woman before them. "Ishizu-han," she asked somewhat nervously, "If you have one of these items... Does that mean... Can you really..."

The woman shook her head, sighing as she held a hand above the woman's body. "Sadly no," she admitted, eyes closing over slightly before she moved back. "This is my first experience with the powers of the Shadow Game... The tauk you see, is benevolent, and considered the 'lightest' of objects. It grants the wielder powers concerning fate itself, at the cost of continued neutrality. So no," the woman continued, shaking her head. "The only thing that will break Malik's hold on this woman is either his death, or his loss in another game." Well... The last one was sounding good to him. "As it is," Ishizu continued somewhat sadly, "The rest of my knowledge of the tauk is little," she admitted, stroking the necklace around her neck. "And compared to my brother's power..." Ishizu abruptly cut off with those words, turning to the two as they stared. "I must leave," she said plainly, Keiichi glancing at the clock to the side to mentally agree. "I have a duel to attend to... And there is nothing more I can do here," Ishizu continued, shaking her head. "But first... ...'Ryuzaki Keiichi'," the woman asked, Keiichi jumping in response.

"Ryu- H-Hey," he asked nervously, "When did I give you my na-"

The boy was lightly elbowed by his friend, as Shizuka frowned, the boy quieting so that Ishizu could continue. "You are in need of a room," she said rather plainly, "And though my brother will avoid this room due to its uselessness in his eyes, the others will soon be quite full. From what the tauk has shown me, those in this room will end up taking guard shifts... And Yugi's room will soon hold the sleeping arrangements for either your friend or the one named 'Mazaki Anzu'," she continued, pulling a card from between the folds of the sash on her waist. "Here," Ishizu said, handing the boy a card. Keiichi looked it over with fairly wide eyes, staring as the woman continued. "Move your things into my room," she told him, the boy blinking in response. "You will be safe there if you stay the evening."

"A-Ah... Your room," he repeated somewhat blankly. "You mean I can stay in-" H-Hey, his silent prayers had actually been answered!

Ishizu turned and left without another word at that, Shizuka staring at the card with somewhat surprised eyes before eventually speaking. "She... She gave you her room key," she said with a swallow, blinking slowly as her friend nodded. Yeah...

Yeah she did... Which meant...

He was staying in her room! He was staying in a girl's room instead of having to share with three other guys! "Hah... Hahaha... YES!" he shouted, pumping his fists. "This is AWESOME!"

"Keichi," Shizuka said somewhat quietly, "Keep your voice down..."

"I didn't even have to ask Yugi," he continued with a grin, "This is great!"

"Keichi," his friend muttered, "Really, you-"

"I gotta move my bag," the boy decided abruptly, hopping over the chair to grab it from the floor, "Get settled..."

"O-Oi!" the girl shouted, watching as her friend turned back. "Keichi! Are you blushing!"

"Er... No?" he answered nervously, shouldering the bag with a nervous laugh. Perhaps Ishizu had foreseen that awkward argument on her way there, as she actually had two minutes left before duel start by the time she arrived on deck.


	26. The Tests of Fate

The wind had seemed to get colder as the duels passed, far colder than the standard 'early-evening, late night' shift. She wasn't really sure why she was bothering to notice these things of course, but as she stood at the far end of the arena with crossed arms she noticed it nonetheless. Her deck had been locked into place, and her disk was now at the ready, cold be damned. And as she stared across the field with narrowed eyes, Isono's words echoed about the field, her opponent still not present.

"We will now hold the fourth match," the man announced clearly, the rest of the crowd standing at opposite ends of the field. To her left was the peanut gallery, the two tag-alongs remaining below deck. To the right, Malik, a vicious grin on his face as he waited for the match to start. If it would, that was. "As the eighth duelist has not yet arrived," Isono was saying in the meantime, "We will begin a five minute countdown- should they not be present within that time, disqualification will occur, and Kaiba Seto will win by default!" Hnnn...

Seto narrowed her eyes, growling under her breath. Disqualification... Such a pathetic way to win! This eighth duelist's antics were beginning to really tick her off with all of this anonymity. Even so, until this person arrived... "...Yugi," she said clearly, eyes shifting to where the boy stood at the sides. The boy in question blinked, still holding onto the persona of the 'other' while in the partial presence of Malik. "Watch," Seto stated, "This is my tournament; the god cards and the title 'King of Games' are both on the line... In order to face you for these rights," the woman continued, arms crossed as the wind blew about the field, "I will win this battle... Remember that."

Yugi appeared to narrow his eyes at the statement, Jonouchi as well frowning slightly as the woman stared across the field. He was probably wondering how much of that message was for Yugi really... The title threat obviously was, but she'd rather not have to deal with the blond doing something stupid during this match. Such as distracting her with 'cheers'.

Moron. As for her opponent...

The woman continued to wait in aggravation, before Isono's voice again pealed over the air. "We have just received permission from the eighth duelist to refer to her by name," the announcer cried, raising his hand and gesturing toward the lift. The arena's height blocked the lift from view, but as the competitor walked forward she could still see her white clad form. "Allow me to announce the official start of this match," Isono continued clearly, the woman now taking her place on the stage before turning toward her opponent. Hang on...

That face was-

"For the final battle of the evening and semi-finals, Kaiba Seto, versus Ishtar Ishizu!" Ish-

ISHIZU!?

Even Malik, who stood at the side of the field seemed to freeze as the woman walked up to the arena floor, duel-disk clacking into position as she stared her opponent down. Ishtar... That was right, Malik's last name was 'Ishtar'. Which meant that those two were likely...

"We meet again," Ishizu announced with a slight and polite bow, smiling toward the very person she had entrusted Obelisk to. "'Seto'... It would appear our meeting is exactly as predicted," she said mysteriously, the woman across from her tensing in response. Predict-

Tch! "Ishizu... Why are you here?" she growled dangerously, the Egyptian showing no real change in reaction as she answered.

"Fate led me here," she said plainly, opponent narrowing her eyes in response. "By the powers of the tauk around my neck," the woman continued, "I have come... I have foreseen all there is to see about this match," she went on, her opponent growing more and more tense with each mention of 'fate', "And I will defeat you..." Defeat her? HAH!

Don't make her laugh she thought with a snarl, gritting her teeth even as slight unease crept into her mind. There were shouts coming from below, the peanut gallery converging on itself with questions and confusion at Ishizu's presence... Evidently Yugi and Anzu both knew the woman somehow, and were explaining to their friends just who she was. Yet while that happened below, she couldn't help but notice that Jonouchi...

Was still watching...

And was paying no attention to the conversations at all. "...Seto," the woman called out, a few of the boys at the side again muttering off about 'first-name-basis'. "I will say again... Fate is unavoidable, uncontrollable... This tauk around my neck is what allows me to properly discern the future of others," she explained with a shout, "Allowing me to form my predictions... You will lose this battle," the woman announced clearly. "And I say that not only as a duelist," she continued, "But as one who has peered into the future itself!" The fut...

"H...Hhnhnhn..." Laughter slowly came into the air, the conversation seeming all to ridiculous to truly care about. "'Fate'?" she repeated, a grin slowly appearing on her face as she laughed. "It's one thing to make claims, but don't even joke about that! You gave me your God card," she roared, the laughter cutting short. "You were even the one to request that I put together a tournament to lure out the ghouls," Seto snarled, "For which reason I've been dealing with said scum all day- And you tell me that 'fate' decrees it all end here?" As if it would be so pathetic! "Hn! You're quite bold," she said with a sneer, Isono allowing the conversation to continue for the moment. "Your first impressions aren't too bad either," Seto added, idly looking over the outfit that her opponent had chosen. "But sorry to say, these superstitions of yours don't scare me; I could care less about these 'Millennium Items' and occult paraphernalia. As far as I'm concerned," she continued loudly, "You can toss them like the trash they are!" A smirk again made its way across her face, the fierce wind around them appearing to pick up speed. "Hn... It would appear that this battle will be truly ironic by the end," Seto stated with a chuckle, eyes narrowing in mirth as her opponent showed no reaction. "Using the power of the very Obelisk you gave me," the woman continued, "I'm going to toss your 'predictions' to the ground from whence it came! Now..!"

She turned, giving Isono a look as the man abruptly nodded from the stage behind her. "Right- DUEL START!" he announced, bringing his hand down in the familiar 'begin' signal.

The women on the field immediately drew their hands with those words, faces tight with determination as both took their positions. "Let's go," Seto roared, coat furling around her as the wind stung against her body. She'd show this woman 'fate'... What the 'future' really was...

What created her future was undefined after all, a thing that could not be foreseen by some golden object of the past. It was a thing that none could see completely, something that could only be estimated and travelled toward. So, with that in mind...

"It's my turn!" she shouted, her opponent's eyes closed over as the cards were set on the field. The holographic panels shimmered into existence, the first swinging upward to reveal her first monster. "First I summon the Blood Vorse," Seto announced, holographic demon holding his blade forward with a snarl as he appeared in a flicker of light. "And next," she continued, "A face-down card... End turn!"

Ishizu opened her eyes, nodding slightly as she drew her first card. "Hn... My turn then," she stated, setting two cards on the field as well. The holographic panels did almost the same as her opponent's had, the first swinging upward before appearing on its side. "First, I summon Keldo in defense mode," the woman announced, the metal being appearing to shield its master with large wing-like arms. "And next," she called out, the second card swinging upward to 'pulse' almost angrily, "I activate the spell Dragged Down to the Grave!" Dragged to the-! Seto tensed, grinding her teeth as she ran over the card's information. A hand cleaning card and an embarrassment! Damn her damn her damn her da- "Go on Seto," the woman said plainly, cutting her opponent's mental rant short. "Show me your hand..."

Damn it! She wasn't going to forget this! "Ngggh..." The hand was held out in silence, cards revealed to the entire field as Ishizu appeared to close her eyes and nod. Tch- if she wasn't even going to look-

"Thank-you..." The woman opened her eyes, gripping her cards tightly as she spoke. "Discard Polymerization and 'Kaiser Glider' if you will," she continued, Seto doing as requested with a slight growl. One high powered monster, one spell...

Tch... Well. She supposed it could have been worse really; those cards wouldn't have done too much early on in the duel, given the Glider's negative second effect. But now it was her turn to pick the cards, even if Ishizu's hand wasn't to be revealed. "Alright then Ishizu," she said with a frown, pointing toward the woman's hand. "Starting from my right, discard your second and fourth cards!" She might not have been able to see Ishizu's hand...

But mark her words she would make the blow just as fierce! "Understood..." Ishizu pulled the cards from her hand, holding them forward for a moment. "The cards you picked were Monster Reborn and Revival Magic," she announced, sending the two to the grave before slipping the rest of her hand into her deck. Across from her Seto did the same, before drawing a new hand as the spell on the field vanished from sight. "And with the renewed hand of cards," the woman continued almost blankly, "My turn is over." Hn...

So it was... But what was she planning, shuffling out their hands she wondered, drawing her next card and adding it to her hand. Briefly she noted Ishizu's eyes seemed to drift to the side, staring at where Malik stood. At where the blond now leered upward in return, a nasty and sadistic grin across his face. In response a glare appeared across Ishizu's face with an intensity that she had yet to see in any form of emotion the woman had shown, and yet despite that her eyes clouded beneath the light.

Just as Ishizu's expression shifted to shock she made her move, pointing her monster forward with narrowed eyes as the hologram charged. "It's my turn!” Seto announced, the demon raising its axe high. "Blood Vorse, attack! Cut the opponent in half!" she roared, the monster doing just that as Keldo fell to both sides in a shower of pixels. Ishizu ducked against the backlash from the holograms strike and the wind both, Seto chuckling in response. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Before trying to look into the future, try looking at the enemy standing in front of you," she chuckled, opponent narrowing her eyes. Really...

Spacing out in the middle of a match! She'd teach her a lesson, that was for sure. All it would take were a few cards after all, and her virus strategy would come into play! And with those same cards in her hand...

"Ishizu," she called out, arms crossed as the two cards were set on the disk. "Your so called 'visions' of the future don't even phase me!" Ishizu continued to stare across the field with narrowed eyes at that, watching as the two holographic panels appeared face down on the field. "The 'future' is what I make of it! And until you can prove otherwise, you shouldn't even bother making these claims! HahaHAHAHA! Now," she announced, nodding curtly as she stared across the field. "I'll play two cards face down and end my turn!" And now to see what her opponent did in response...

Ishizu narrowed her eyes at the comment against her tauk, nonetheless closing them over as it came to her turn. The next card was drawn and set upon the field without the slightest glance, a holographic counterpart arising to the field in a flash. "...I summon Mudora," she announced, the Egyptian looking warrior appearing in a golden mask above the field. "And in addition to that," she continued, another card appearing in view as a pair of 'wind and fire' wheels appeared in its hands, "I equip him with the cestus of Dalga, increasing his power by five hundred points! Now... Attack the Blood Vorse!" the Egyptian ordered, Seto smirking in response. Hah! Just as planned!

"Hn! I activate the two face down cards," Seto countered with a shout both cards revealing themselves to the field as they swung upward. "You've walked right into my trap! First," she began, the card vanishing as her monster's hologram halved in size, "Shrink cuts the Blood Vorse's power in half... And then," she continued, holographic mist filling the air as the monster was destroyed by the attacking monster, "As a carrier of the crush card virus, the poison infects your cards! Not only are your monsters on the field destroyed," she laughed, her own monster vanishing into a shower of light as her lifepoints plummeted, "But so are the ones in your deck! Now send them all to the grave," the woman continued, smirk widening as her opponent stared. "They won't be doing you any good..."

She'd have expected more of a reaction from that kind of loss... But as Ishizu nodded she merely closed her eyes over, moving any monsters from her hand and field into the grave. "As you wish," she said plainly, the smirk on Seto's face nonetheless remaining in place. Well...

It didn't really matter she supposed, the reaction that was. She'd won this match after all... So why bother with it? Mudora may have landed a strong hit of course, but with all of Ishizu's strongest monsters dead and her strategy as of yet unfinished and in progress it was well worth it. One more card...

One more card and the devastation would be truly apparent! "I play one card face down," Ishizu said calmly, the single holographic panel hovering above the field as Seto's thoughts were cut short. "I end my turn."

And with those very words a rumble came through her deck, a beating that transferred to her hand as she drew her card. A rush of energy bolted through her every being, eyes drawn to her deck as she slowly pulled the card from the holder. She could hear it...

Feel it, the very pulse of the being in the card... "In that case!" she roared, grin widening as the card was placed in her hand, "It's my turn!" God. God's power now sat in her hand she thought with a mental cackle, the card in question appearing to gleam viciously under the moonlight. Three turns, three monsters, three sacrifices...

In that amount of time she would win, no matter what!

"I summon Des Feral Imp in attack mode," Seto announced, the holographic demon appearing before its hovering card. Seto pointed the monster forward, her grin almost appearing to be mirrored by the beast as it moved. "Of course," the woman laughed, containing her elation somewhat as her expression faded, "Now that your field is clear, the Imp attacks directly! Hear this," she continued, watching as her opponent stumbled under the strike from the solidified light, "The future is limitless... The past is merely a string of footprints- And the past is nothing to me!" she shouted with a laugh, grin refusing to die completely as her monster returned to her side of the field. "The fact that you gave me Obelisk... That doesn't matter either! I didn't choose God," the woman shouted clearly, her opponent continuing to stare in stubborn silence, "God chose ME! And using this power," Seto roared, the woman across simply looking at her hand as it came to her turn. "I'll end this in just a few turns!" Using a strategy that was going so smoothly it was almost unbelievable..! "And now," the woman announced, setting another card on the field as its panel appeared in response, "For the next part of my strategy... I play the spell 'Virus Canon'- sending the first ten magic cards of your deck into the grave!" Which meant nothing but perhaps a few traps and spells with cannon fodder, the duel's result practically decided already. Perfect... This was working perfectly, better than she could have possibly hoped! "Your deck is good as destroyed!" she laughed, Ishizu merely staring across the field.

And yet from the side, the wince on Jonouchi's face appeared to say otherwise. "No," Ishizu stated calmly, tapping the duel disk on her arm. "As I told you before, I have foreseen all of this. You'll have to forgive me Seto," she continued, blood slowly draining from the woman's face as the card on the field swung upward, "But the one who fell for the trap was you. Watch... This is the tomb-guardian's trap! I activate my card," she announced with a frown, the card's text burning into her opponent's skull. "Exchange of the spirit!" Ex... Exchange...

The card that switched...

. . . .

. . . .

Nooooo...

No no no- _AAAAAAUGH!_

Augh! "Hnhnhnhnhn... Our decks are now switched with our graves," Ishizu announced, her opponent staring across the field in shock. "So... How is that for your 'proof'?" she asked somewhat smugly, eyebrows raised as her opponent continued to freeze. Nothing...

It didn't prove anything damn it, it... It...

The woman's mind drew blank for a moment, facts flying through her head as she attempted to think. There were six cards in her graveyard. Six, the two cards that had been discarded and the spells she'd used for her virus strategy. A 'deck out' loss wasn't announced until it was impossible to draw on the next turn however, which left her with seven turns total. Seven turns!

Ishizu on the other hand, who had dumped almost her entire deck into the graveyard as a result of the virus play...

Had quite clearly planned this from the start. The woman stared at her duel disk as Ishizu smiled, her graveyard spitting the cards out for the requested switch. Seto shakily and reluctantly switched the deck with the tiny pile in silence as her opponent did the opposite, eyes still wide and unblinking as she slowly looked back to the field. This...

This was not good she told herself with a shudder, this was...

"My turn," Ishizu announced, placing a card on the duel disk before grabbing another. "I'll set one card face down and summon Kelbek in attack mode," she stated, the holographic panels hovering in place as the mechanized spider shimmered into existence. "End turn." This...

The 'future'...

So Ishizu thought it was a future where she lost did she? Well not so! She would turn this around soon enough, mark her words! "My turn," Seto spat bitterly, drawing the next card and looking it over with narrowed eyes. The same card she had sent to the grave moments before, the Virus canon. If she played-

"Activate trap, 'Negate'," Ishizu shouted, her opponent narrowing her eyes as the card flipped upward and vanished from sight. "Discard the card just drawn!" Gh...

Damn it... There went that one. Ishizu knew almost exactly what was in her 'deck' thanks to her strategy, given the number of cards discarded. And with what she had in her hand, her only monster aside from Obelisk being too powerful for the field...

"...Des Feral Imp enters defense mode," she growled, a thick scowl in place as she crossed her arms. "I pass the remainder of the turn." This was ridiculous, completely pathetic! She couldn't summon more monsters, she didn't have enough low-level ones left to use... But thanks to Ishizu's first spell she decided with narrowed eyes, she still had enough cards to turn this around. Soul Exchange was in her hand after all, which would allow her to summon Obelisk without worry. And once Ishizu had three monsters on the field...

"I summon Zolga in attack mode," the woman before her announced, a second monster appearing above the field. The thickly robed being hovered in place before his card, Seto narrowing her eyes. Almost there she told herself, hand almost twitching in impatience. Just one more, one more, this was all she had and-

"KAIBA!" Yugi shouted from the side, the woman turning to look at where both he and Jonouchi were staring up with near identical expressions. What- What the hell were they shouting about? "Just ahead of us is the location of our battle," the boy called out, his 'rival' narrowing her eyes to stare in slight confusion. "The future for us both is just within reach! Understand?" The future...

Seto continued to stare, watching as Jonouchi as well cupped his hands to shout. "Hey! S- Kaiba!" he called out, barely catching himself on the name as always. "I plan on gettin' a shot at fightin' y' too," the blond announced with a laugh, "So don' even think 'f losin' sight 'f what's there, got it!" He-

"Hn!" The woman turned back to the field, eyes narrowed as Ishizu announced her attack. "I won't! And you would be wise to wait for me," she growled, unphased by the holographic backlash of her destroyed feral imp. Zolga had attacked the monster while she was talking, which really figured. That was the first monster however, and now...

"Kelbek attacks directly," Ishizu shouted, the spider charging across the field with a synthesized screech. The monster's claws slashed at her form, sending a wave of wind past her as a result. The woman's coat flew out behind her as she shielded her face, leering over her arms as the monster returned to its side of the field. "Tch-!" And just how realistic had she made the monsters again? That felt like a little more than a bruise, and if anything she would even say there were scratches on her bracers...

Even so the turn was not yet over, a face down card appearing to the field and pulling Seto's attentions back to what 'mattered'. One face down card...

"End turn," Ishizu stated after finishing the attack and move both, before nodding across the field. "Your draw." Hn! Tell her something she didn't know. But that card...

Seto narrowed her eyes as the wind appeared to die back to its regular rhythm, drawing her next card to take her turn. There was the slightest possibility of it being another 'negate' she told herself, and if she drew the wrong card at that moment...

"Activate trap," Ishizu shouted as her opponent glanced over the card, mentally snorting as 'Blood Vorse' was sent back to the grave. "Negate!" Hn! Interesting luck she had there, drawing two of the same card so quickly! Even so... With this card the woman told herself, she would win. No matter what...

"I place one card on the field," Seto announced, the holographic panel appearing before them. A small smirk made its way onto her face, the woman crossing her arms and holding a finger close to the 'activate' button. "End turn!" And now...

For the final turn of the duel. "My move then," her opponent stated calmly, drawing her next card to immediately set it on the field. "First," she announced, a card shimmering into existence at her knees, "I set a card face down." A fourth card quickly appeared on the field, image staring out to the arena as a third monster appeared. "In addition," Ishizu called out, "I summon this; Agido!" Yes...

Yes! HahahaHAHA! As the egg-shaped, eye-decorated monster appeared to the field Seto tapped the dueldisk, her card swinging upward as she laughed. Yes! Not a single ounce of suspicion!

"HahaHAHAHA! Thank you for bringing up the necessary sacrifices," she announced smugly, the spell card vanishing from the field in an instant. The monsters across on Ishizu's side of the field burst into pillars of sand and shadow both as the spell took effect, Seto still laughing as the sky appeared to cloud and darken. "I activate the card Soul Exchange!" the woman roared, thunder pealing in the distance to herald the summoning as she set her next card, "Bringing out the God of the desert, the warrior of the night, OBELISK!" A shattering roar came through the sky, seemingly shadowed lightning striking the air about them.

" _ **ROOOOOOOOOOOOO**_!" And here it came...

The pillars of sand seemed to spin toward her side of the field, converging behind her as the winds picked up to a vicious tempo. Dirt scratched the sides of her cheeks but the sting was ignored and not even noticed as the remains of the monsters swirled into the large and now standing body of the God she had summoned. Dust and shadows developed into blue and necrotising armor, into rotted features and clawed hands that curled into fists, and at his immense size it was more than clear that Obelisk was just barely able to stand within the limits of the arena. Despite this however the monster still saw fit to come to one knee, preferring to see the field at a closer level than from the clouds far above. And with this monster...

With this power that radiated from the air and filled the arena...

Hnh _nhaHAHAHAHAAA_!

"Ishizu... Prepare yourself!" she roared, the grin on her face refusing to die as the storm worsened. "This is the last turn! You could surrender... Or you could be destroyed by the God before you... Take your pick!"

Ishizu however merely stood there, wind blowing her shawl back somewhat Seto stared. "I end my turn," she said plainly, eyes appearing almost blank. "It's your move." Nothing. She would fight until the end, and she would lose in the same manner. Hnhnhnhnhn...

Very well then she told herself, a grin forming on her face. This was... The end. And yet as she moved to speak she found herself frozen in place, Obelisk kneeling in silence behind her as all sensations began to dull. She found her eyes drifting to the card in her hand, the one that now sat on the top, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that she had held there from almost the start of the match.

There was a feeling in the air, a feeling that seemed to radiate from this card. A cold, chilling feeling, depression, death... And as she brought her eyes back up to the field, she thought she could hear...

Singing.

It was not human in nature despite the beauty it conveyed. Despite the sadness it carried, and the mourning it represented. There were no words even, merely shifting notes that rang through the clouds and through her ears. This wasn't the time to lose herself in some sort of 'daydream'...

She didn't even have daydreams, that was Jonouchi's field! "Attack," she muttered, before raising her voice as she forced the song from mind, "ATTACK!" But instead...

" _ **... I think NOT, my PRIESTESS.**_ " Wh...

What... Seto's eyes widened with shock, unable to even turn as Obelisk lowered his head and continued to speak. It had to be Obelisk her mind told her, despite the other half pushing the argument of impossibility. It was a hologram! There was no way it could speak! But holograms did not carry this sort of power either, they didn't simply 'break' the limits of the disk system...

As her mind continued to fight against itself Obelisk continued to speak, the woman still standing in shocked, possibly terrified silence. " _ **There is a TIME for GODS and a TIME for OTHERS,**_ " the monster announced wisely, eye-less sockets appearing to glow and reflect off the steel of the arena floor. " _ **And though the CHOICE is YOURS,**_ " he continued," _ **Your KNOWLEDGE is yet INCOMPLETE. There are THINGS that you must KNOW,**_ " Obelisk announced, " _ **There are SIGHTS that you must SEE...**_ " Th...

Things? What was this thing even talking about? 'Priestess'? 'Choices'? What was this, a dream? A nightmare even? It couldn't be real, it couldn't and yet-

" _ **Close your eyes PRIESTESS,**_ " the God demanded, his hands closing over the woman as she stood frozen. Seto's vision was blocked completely by thick and mummified fingers, armor brushing against what bare skin there was as she swallowed. Impossible...

IMPOSSIBLE-

" _ **Close your EYES and WITNESS the MEMORY so tightly LOCKED within your HEART. THIS IS YOUR TRIAL!**_ " he announced, thunder clapping from above as rain began to fall around but not upon the arena in torrents. " _ **FACE IT, with all the HONOR of your PREDECESSORS!**_ " Tri...

Trial?

_Predecessors?_

And as she closed her eyes with the intent of blinking she found them locked in place, a rush of sights and sensations flooding her mind. She could see the tablet in the museum, and she could see the tablet as it was carved. She could see the desert coated with sands, and a group of soldiers and horses charging toward some unseen enemy. She could see sands blowing across a ruined village and hear the mourning cries of some unseen beast, hear the roars of still other monsters of great power. She could see a man with the Millennium Rod in his hands, a man whose face seemed familiar to her, and not seconds later she could see that same man with the rod's blade embedded deep into his chest.

And lastly, as the fleeting image of a woman's pale and smiling face met her gaze, snow white hair blowing in a slight breeze...

A tablet stood before her, and her head pounded as images flashed intermittently with the vision. Through the darkness and clouds above pierced the light of the sun, illuminating the carved image of none other than a dragon, a dragon whose form and image seemed so familiar... So important...

So terribly important...

And though in reality they were still held in the same dueling position they always had, there was something in her arms her mind told her.

A body.

A woman, eyes closed as she lay on her lap.

And as she lightly brushed white hair away from the face of a woman who could be sleeping for all that she knew... She knew...

That just as the carving added detail to its stone before her, the woman in her arms slipped further into death. And she could hear a voice...

" _...Kisara..._ "

"Gnnh!"

Gasping breaths pulled her from the vision, tears dotting her eyes despite her confusion. Obelisk's hand had come back from around her, fingers moved to allow her motion as she regained her thought. This feeling...

This horrible, horrible feeling in her chest, pressing tightly against her... And that light...

That white light...

The gasping died down, calming into regulated breaths as she continued to think of the light. Of the dragon she had seen, carved upon the stone... "Memories... Nn..?"

As God stood back behind her, pulling himself back to his feet the woman pulled the Blue-Eyes card from her hand. Beneath the waning light of the moon, among the thunder and falling rain the image appeared to almost radiate with light in her fingers, filling her with a sense of familiarity and calm both. These memories...

These thoughts...

She wanted to trust them she found herself thinking, still staring at the card in silence. She wanted to trust this light, with all she had...

And as she grabbed another card from her hand, setting it on the dueldisk, she found herself staring across the field with wide and determined eyes. This duel... She wouldn't win it with God. She would win using the very begin that so attracted her to the game in the first place! With the monster that she had worked so hard to gain! And as the hologram appeared to the field her opponent shook, eyes widening with disbelief. "But... This can't be," Ishizu was muttering, watching as the spell was placed and activated. "There was no other option," she protested, "This isn't what happened!"

"Hn! Too bad," Seto growled, raising her voice as a card was ejected from her disk to be placed on the field. "I'm not attacking with Obelisk! I activate the spell silent rebirth!" she continued, hologram responding as it was replaced with a crouching being made of gears, "Bringing the Gadget Soldier from the graveyard!"

And still Ishizu stared, eyes wide as the move continued. "Wh-What-?"

"As a powerful card, an eight-star monster requires two sacrifices to be summoned from my hand," Seto 'explained', narrowing her eyes as the storms winds whipped past. "I have one here at my side... And another behind me," she she continued, "Making such a summon more than possible! I sacrifice not only the soldier," the woman roared to her opponent, "But GOD as well! Watch carefully Ishizu! I'll let you see the light of the monster who stands by my side," Seto announced. "The monster that carries my very pride and SOUL! I sacrifice these two monsters!" she shouted as the cards were moved, "And I summon this... THE BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

" **Well DONE! You have SUCCEEDED in your TEST,** " Obelisk roared, sand clattering to the ground as his body fell to pieces. The Gadget Soldier was quickly engulfed in the downpour as his card vanished, Blue-Eyes' own appearing in its place as dust melted into the ground. " **Allow me to OPEN your EYES,** " the monster continued in his dying moments, " **That you may REAP what seeds you have SOWN!** " What..?

As the last bits of sand vanished into the ground, taking the storm and rain with it, the woman found herself stiff with shock as a tablet formed behind her. Lines etched into the stone, smoke pouring through its form as light seemed to emanate from the very confines of the tablet, its reflection clearly viewed from the arena floor. The tablet continued to glow, continued to carve...

Until at last with a mighty roar the beast was released, white wings carrying it through the air as it sang. Blue-Eyes was not confined to a mere playing field in its arrival however; the dragon soared through the night sky with endless singing cries, dipping around the airship itself before landing with both feet at either side of its summoner. And as the beast lowered itself further to the ground, smoke furling from its nostrils, Seto stared forward, eyes narrowed.

The dragon was real. She couldn't argue that. But for the moment, she could no longer see fit to care about that. "Tell me Ishizu?" she called across the field, her Blue-Eyes standing loyally at her side as its tail curled about her in protection. "In this future that you saw, did you see Blue-Eyes?" she 'asked', watching as the woman continued to stare. "Did you see a blinding light, brought from the sacrifice of a God?" Ishizu's face told her all she needed to know in the resulting silence, and with a slight smirk the woman went on. "No... No you didn't," she sneered, Blue-Eyes appearing to give a rumbling chuckle at the words. "Because this is MY future!" Seto spat, pointing the beast forward. "This is MY way of battling, and MY decision to make! NOW," she announced, Blue-Eyes taking to the skies with a growl, "Attack the so-called fate that stands before us Blue-Eyes! BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

" _GRAAAAAAAOOOOOO!_ "

In blinding light and heat both the attack struck, the dragon rearing its head as she blasted through the motionless and somehow calm opponent before them. The fires seared across the field and swiftly evaporated with no surface to burn for fuel, Blue-Eyes landing once more as it came to all fours.

" _Gaoooooo..._ " They did it...

They won. "I win," she said plainly, the dragon lowering its head beside her as she glanced back at the beast. They...

" _Grnnnnn..._ " Seto frowned somewhat, staring at Blue-Eyes as it began to fade. How was it real...

How was any of this real? ' _Well done_ ,' Ishizu was saying from across the field, her head bowed as Seto more or less ignored her. ' _Your strength has altered the very fabric of time itself... From this point_ ,' she continued in the 'distance', ' _You are 'truly' the owner of that God card..._ ' But of course...

Of course she was... But how was it that...

The dragon beside her snorted, steam blowing into her face as the dragon brushed against her face. How...

How..? " _Gnnnnn..._ " Blue-Eyes faded completely from existence with that, the woman removing the card to set it back into her deck in shocked and confused silence. How...

Why? Why was it, that looking at Blue-Eyes just now she felt...

"...Ishizu," she found herself saying, glancing to the side. Malik had taken his leave already, leaving the peanut gallery, Isono, and the two women on the field. Ishizu herself had been about to step down from the arena, the woman turning back as her former opponent continued. "In people's hearts," she explained, "There are always things we would place before God, things that would surpass its power despite what all others think... That fact," the woman continued, "That is why you lost." Ishizu stared for a few moments with those worse, blinking slowly before finally responding.

"...I see," she muttered, turning away briefly. Well... If that was all she would say...

Seto moved to leave the arena herself, before her former opponent pulled her attention again. "...Seto," the woman called out, the CEO in question turning from where she now stood at the steps. "Through this battle... ...I ...I have to thank you," she said calmly, hand on her tauk as she stared toward her. "The future my tauk saw... The future I saw," she continued, eyes filled with worry. "It was one of darkness, and despair, a future that I felt entirely confined to... But through this battle," the woman went on, "You changed that. And when I look now, all I can see is blinding light... To think," she chuckled slightly, a small smile on her face as she brought her hand back down. "If people can change the future..."

"Hmp!" Anyone could do it! It wasn't anything special. "If you can only follow 'visions' then you have no light to create," she said plainly, stepping down from the arena as Isono announced the match end. "That's all."

To the bedrooms then she told herself, pondering her brother's progress with Ra's translation as a few members of the crowd took their leave. To the rooms, to rest for the next morning... And shower. A shower would be nice...

But first to deal with everything else. "...Yugi," she said, passing by the boy to send him a determined stare as she pushed the thoughts of a shower back from mind. "Our battle is coming just around the corner," she continued, narrowing her eyes in challenge as the look was returned in full. "I'll see you there."

"Right," the boy stated with a nod, watching as the woman continued ahead.

"Oi... Don' f'rget abou' me!" Jonouchi said with a grin, walking behind his friend as the woman stopped to give the blond a smirk.

"Hn! With all your yapping how could I, mutt?"

"Nyh!"

"Breakfast is at ten," she said clearly, stepping into the lift as it returned from carrying most of Yugi's friends below deck. Yugi and Jonouchi both stared at that, staring as the doors slowly closed over. "Anyone late can go hungry." And until then, before she slept...

How was that translation going?

* * *

The duel went well, of course. Things had progressed normally for the most part, or about as normal as duels went around him. Yugi of course was fairly sensitive to whatever bizarre precognitive abilities he had this time around, and as he formed a slight 'barrier' between the blond and the others, any mutterings made it no further than Anzu's ears. To say that after the duel he was screwed however...

Well, that went without saying as well really. It probably had to do with his mouth... But he was pretty sure that everything else didn't help either. Actually, it seemed every secret was coming to an end given the tilted heads in the crowd when the wind blew Seto's coat back from her waist.

Right. In front.

Of everyone.

"Is it just me," Otogi had muttered at the sight, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he stared toward the woman, "Or does Kaiba have hips?"

"It is _definitely_ just you!" Honda responded at an oddly loud tone, giving his friend a look before turning to Katsuya. "Definitely just- ...Dude," he muttered, the blond jumping as Honda addressed him from around the others. "Are you blushing?"

The response, though paper-thin in cover, was fairly expected. "DEFINITELY NOT!"

So yeah, all together the moment had passed rather awkwardly. Of course there was everything else to think of for that matter. When Ishizu had arrived for one, he'd already known she would be the mysterious 'eighth duelist'. ' _Ishizu_ ,' he had muttered as the flash hit, Yugi turning at the sound. The blond had gained a somewhat shocked look, muttering the words as they came to mind before even realizing it. ' _Th' eighth duelist, it's...'_

There had been obvious confusion, not to mention hesitation with that comment after Yugi heard that of course. After all it was one thing to be told about the 'precognition' and 'flashes' but to actually believe it... Well, after Ishizu actually walked out onto the arena, the boy had found himself blinking a few times before turning back to Katsuya.

"...Did I mention that this is all very, very strange?" he had asked, Katsuya laughing nervously in response. Those words had quickly been followed by Honda and Otogi shouting ' _IT'S HER!_ ' when the pair spotted Ishizu however, so he didn't have time to respond to Yugi...

Really, he was too busy watching the two flinch under Anzu's fairly cold ' _you WERE stalking us!'_ stare, a stare that had also dropped rather quickly when a 'new' bit of information came up. "Wait," Otogi said, shaking his head and scowling. "This was supposed to bring out the gang?"

"I knew it was planned," Honda hissed, before flinching under the look that Katsuya sent in response.

"Oiii... What'd I say abou' tha'?" he growled, before Otogi interrupted to change the subject.

"So who do you think should lose more? Ishtar, or Kaiba?" he asked, Katsuya continuing to scowl as the two talked.

"Well," Honda had responded with a shrug, "Hopefully Ishtar... Jonouchi wants to fight Kaiba right? Besides, it'll be worse for him if Kaiba loses, seeing how Yugi's pretty much the only one who can make that happen..." Wait wha-

"HEY!"

"Well then there's no problems right?" Otogi said with a smirk. "Kaiba won't lose easily then!"

"Especially if it's against Jonouchi," Anzu added with a grin, the blond continuing to grow red in response.

"OIII!"

That conversation ended up proceeding back and forth like that, at least until things on the field caught his attention once more. Honda and Otogi thankfully, were out of range, unable to hear what mutterings passed through his lips in shock. Anzu and Yugi however were not, and while Yugi himself had a small explanation, he really wasn't enjoying the looks Anzu was giving him.

Particularly since her eyes were still golden, which was never good. As the first of matters beyond reality, while the monsters had opted to ignore him during the match for whatever reason, he thought he had heard someone speaking when Ishizu came on deck. Not Ishizu herself however...

If anything he'd noted the woman he'd heard was completely different, and almost panicked in tone to contrast Ishizu's calm demeanour. _'Run_ ,' the voice whispered, a rush of fear flooding him for reasons unknown. ' _They will not rest until all of you sleep in the pits of Ammit's bowels..! Run! I will stall them..._ ' That was all he heard...

As to what that meant...

He had no clue. But following that he'd managed to narrowly avoid question after question. Seto after all had typically pulled out her 'Virus Deck' strategy, including the 'crush card virus'. He had yet to ask his monsters why those kinds of cards affected him, but as he hurriedly threw his head over the side to lose yet another meal he really wished he had. Maybe they had something for it...

And so, a number of 'are you alright's later, he was again watching the duel, narrowing his eyes before smacking his head. "Awwwww hell..."

"...Jonouchi," Yugi had asked from the side, Anzu as well appearing to glance at them from the side.

"Y'll get it in five seconds," he'd muttered in response as he paled, counting down shortly after. "An' three... Two... One..."

"One?" the boy questioned, before he was cut off by a shout.

"EXCHANGE OF THE SPIRIT!" Ishizu had cried at that moment, a long mental 'FUUUUUUU-' running through his head as he groaned.

And as Yugi had stared the blond merely sighed, arms crossed. "I hate bein' righ'," he growled, Yugi merely staring in silence. Hate, hate, hated...

It didn't take much really to realize that there had been a lot going on during that final match; it didn't need much more reason as to why after all, and the fact was that as he stood in the lift with Yugi and Ishizu both, there were other things on his mind. First, the tauk...

The spirit had remained largely active through the battle, hands constantly prying through Seto's mind as it worked in silence. At the end of the battle however he had heard its voice, the being chuckling lightly as Blue-Eyes floated into existence from its glowing white tablet. _"And so it is Re-Written,_ " it whispered, form unseen at the moment. " _Forgive me my guardian... My Eye has seen as far as able, and there is little more I can do. You have proven a worthy host...but the time has come for me to rest,_ " it said almost sadly, " _And stand at the King's side once more_." Again with the kings...

And the 'Gods' too, Obelisk had sure as hell done something to Seto. But more importantly...

"Blue-Eyes," he'd said at the beginning of the match, Yugi looking at him oddly as Seto started the duel. Of all the things that had happened during the fight, that was the point that stood out the most. "S.. He's gonna win usin' Blue-Eyes inst'd 'f Obelisk," he muttered, shaking his head.

Yugi had continued to stare at that, blinking a few times as the blond frowned. "...What?" Oh... Uh... He hadn't realized he'd said it out loud.

Whoops.

Then again, it was probably more or less better than what happened later on, regardless of present knowledge. If anything maybe not knowing would have made it easier to pass off the mutterings...

To pass off the look on his face as he wondered why Obelisk would be sacrificed, a fact that actually had his friend turn back with a look that rather plainly said ' _...You were RIGHT!_ '

Of course when the God itself appeared he'd wound up with a headache again...

With blind-spots dancing across his vision, words passing through his lips and Yugi listening and watching with a worried frown in place.

' _Great God of the Desert and Storm,_ ' he'd whispered, ' _He who wields the darkness alongside the light, whose form is unlike any on earth, whose battle with Osiris is unending and whose victory over Apep is celebrated, whose name is SUTEKH,_ ' he continued, the boy beside him growing paler and paler as he spoke, ' _I stand before you and ask for your power, I ask that you grant me your strength, I ask_ ,'

" _ **...But I instead REFUSE...**_ " At his Katsuya had jumped, eyes wide as he turned on the monster above. God...

God refused to fight, instead kneeling and speaking to his summoner outside the blond's audible range. It held back his attack, instead announcing a trial of sorts. It was strange, so strange that this would happen and yet...

"Jonouchi," Yugi whispered, pulling his friend back into the present as the elevator began to move down. Ishizu stood behind them for the moment, holding her tongue as the boys conversed. He wasn't sure she could hear them as it was. "...During the duel," the boy continued, trailing off as his friend winced.

"Yeah... I did it again, I know," he muttered, scratching his head as he turned to the boy. "It's... Pretty weird an'-"

"Actually," the boy responded, "I wanted to ask about that. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to of course," he continued, despite his expression giving away the fact that he would very much prefer it, "But while it's one thing to predict what happens, to predict what happened on the field when the tauk could not is just beyond-"

"You..." The boys turned, Ishizu frowning somewhat as the pair paled. Oh come on, she'd _heard_ that? The woman continued to stare, narrowing her eyes. "You foresaw the events on the field?" she questioned, Katsuya mentally groaning in response.

The two boys shared an awkward look, both wincing as the lift opened for them to step out. Great, this was just what he needed. Eh...

"...It's... A long story..."

"If you like Ishizu," the boy beside him added, "We can explain in Jonouchi's room." Wait what? Explain? But how was he supposed to-

And hang on, didn't he get a say in this?

"If that's alright with him of course," Yugi hurriedly added, eyes having briefly clouded as his lighter half berated him.

Again the woman stared, before glancing at the door labeled '2' at the side. "...That would be fine," she decided, bowing her head. "After you..."

Katsuya nodded, biting his lip somewhat before moving to open the door. It was a bit of a relief being this close to the lift really. Sure, Malik's room was right beside his, but at least the stairs were right there too. The door slid open as the card was accepted, the trio stepping in as it shut behind them. Okay! So...

"Er..." He rubbed his head, looking back at Ishizu as the woman stood in silence. "...I don' really know what I'm s'pposed t' tell y'..."

"You could start with the precognition... You claim that you foresaw the final result of the match?" she asked, Katsuya nodding somewhat hesitantly. Yeah... Yeah he had. Damn it, why hadn't he just asked to talk about this in his room to begin with rather than blabbing in front of Ishizu?

Katsuya shook himself, taking a seat on a chair as he winced. "Well. I did see it... Kinda. Jus' a flash," he explained with a cough, "I get 'm a lot... Er..."

"We actually don't know too much about this," Yugi admitted, crossing his arms. "In fact, had it been anyone else I likely wouldn't have brought this up further than where we got in the elevator. However," he continued, bowing his head, "It occurred to me that your tauk, as something with a similar power, might hold some information on this..." Er...

Given what the tauk itself had told him, he didn't think so. Though he supposed it didn't hurt. "...I see," the woman muttered in response, frowning somewhat. "Flashes... Your visions manifest as 'flashes'?" Ishizu repeated in question, the blond across from her nodding as the woman's eyes widened. "How is that even possible," she whispered, shaking her head. "Flashes... That is how the tauk's ability manifests, first as flashes, then through dreams and visions, but that cannot happen until after the item is received!"

And therein lay the other point of confusion. "We've already concluded that the items, while involved," Yugi explained with a slight frown, "Are not the trigger. But... As to what is," he continued, looking from Katsuya to Ishizu as he trailed off. "...Well..."

He wanted to know if the tauk could figure that out.

That would be a 'no'. Silence settled over the air at that 'request', Ishizu frowning as she picked up on the unasked question. "...Even the tauk cannot discern that," she stated, bowing her head. "In fact, it has been a fair amount of confusion since the evening at the museum, my inability to discern your past and future. Of course," the woman added with a short nod, "I realize now that this 'ability' is likely what interfered in my readings, though that does not change the fact that the tauk's view of you is blinded..."

"Yeah... I know," Katsuya sighed, shaking his head as the two frowned. "Got one hell 'f a dream where it explained tha' an'- ... ...Eh..." Crap, shouldn't have gone that far.

The others blinked, Yugi narrowing his eyes in confusion. "The tauk itself... Told you these things," Ishizu repeated almost blankly, eyes wide with incredulity as Katsuya stared back nervously. "The tauk has a spirit?"

"Er... N-Not really," he admitted with a cough, shaking his head. "I mean, I don' get it either but..." Ahhh...

How to explain... Oh!

"Hey, Yug'," he asked abruptly, his friend blinking in response. "Does th' normal Yugi r'member back in Pegasus' castle?" he continued, "Back when we were guardin' yer head fr'm it?" There was another nod, the blond moving on. "Did 'e tell y' abou' what we fought off?"

Yugi blinked, before nodding yet again after a short moment. "He mentioned an enormous gold eye with shadows attacking from the sides," he said plainly, "But what does-"

"Tha' was th' Eye," Katsuya said seriously, the two in the room blinking as he went on. "An th' flames y' saw earlier, tha' toothy prick controllin' my body at th' pier... Tha' was the Rod," he continued, Yugi's eyes widening. "I don' know what they are 'xactly, but 'pparently they ain't s'pposed t' be seen by most people... An'... Well, they ain't exactly normal, bein' items an all..."

The two continued to stare, Yugi looking down at his own item in question as he swallowed. "Then, the puzzle-" The puzz- OH!

"Er... No, tha's all you," he quickly shouted with a slight laugh, shaking his head. "Y' don' need t' worry abou' that... Trus' me, you'd 've known if I w's seein' anythin' like tha'!"

The boy appeared to sigh with relief at this, Ishizu turning to frown. "So the Tauk... It also has a form then..." Katsuya nodded, scratching his head again as he spoke. "...Yeah... A lot nicer though, tha's f'r sure... 'Parently it'll show up in people's dreams when it's getting their futures for y', showin' up as somethin' they're more familiar with... ...I didn' get t' have tha'," he added somewhat dryly, attempting to laugh the fact off as the others continued to stare. "Yeah..." This conversation...

It was so awkward... "Such a strange ability," Ishizu muttered after a few moments, arms crossed as she looked back to the blond. "And you have... No clues as to what this is?" she asked, "None at all?"

"Nothin' more than dreamin' abou' goats an' piles 'f angry dead guys," he muttered, the others frowning in response before the PA at the side crackled and interrupted their thoughts.

_-ATTENTION,-_ Kyouko's voice called over the system, Katsuya staring at the device as she went on. _-All lights outside that of personal rooms will be shut off in five minutes exactly, with doors locking to all those outside. Please return to your rooms immediately,-_ the woman continued, _-And for your own safety and the safety of others, remain within the rooms until morning. Thank you.-_

The device clicked off with those words, Katsuya still staring as a frown came over his face. "Eh... A curfew," he muttered, pulling a face.

Ishizu nodded somewhat in response to the announcement, before leaving for the door. "So it seems," she said plainly, tapping the button on the side. "My door is currently open to the halls, so I should be fine until I return to it of course... But I believe I have overstayed my welcome. ... ...Jonouchi was it?" she asked after a brief silence, the blond nodding in response. The woman smiled somewhat, bowing her head as she stepped into the hall. "...I will see if anything my family has recorded over the generations can explain this ability of yours," she offered, before turning to Yugi as the boy made to leave as well. "Until then... If I could speak to you in private, my Pharaoh?"

Yugi stared, the title catching him somewhat off guard. Nonetheless however the boy nodded, deciding not to miss whatever important information the woman planned to pass on. "Of course," he responded, before turning back to his friend. "...Jonouchi," he said with his usual 'smirk', bowing his head somewhat. "I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Heh! 'F course," he answered, watching as the pair left into the hall. "'F course..."

As the door shut, leaving him alone in the ship room the blond found himself leaving for the washroom, shutting the door behind him and starting up a shower with a somewhat depressed expression in place. After all that... All that...

Why couldn't he say anything more on what was going on? Why couldn't he just spit it all out, about the monsters on the field and outside it, instead of holding everything back? He'd come clean about the dreams after all, about all the dreams and the 'flashes' both...

But why? Katsuya pulled his shirt off as the shower water heated up, looking into the mirror before falling back with a choke. As he looked closely at what he saw, looking down at his chest, he was reminded of that reason after all.

For across his chest where Ra's lightning had pierced him, was a thick, ragged looking scar. Something that despite the nature of the wound, managed to rather frighteningly resemble the monster's clawed hand.

* * *

The computer room was just as dark as she had expected given all of the monitors remaining power in absence of the 'private lighting'. All unnecessary lights had been shut off, leaving bedrooms and anything connected to the emergency power remaining. In other words, medical equipment and the devices sitting before her now. Seto looked to where Mokuba sat in front of the desk and screens, the boy typing away at something before turning to his sister with a jolt.

"Ah- Neesama!" the boy exclaimed, before a grin came over his face. "Congratulations on your match," he said with a laugh, pushing the chair from the desk as he continued. "I had it recording on one of the spare monitors... It was so cool! Bringing out Blue-Eyes right at the end, beating Ishizu's trap like that..." Ishizu had a trap?

...Hn. Well... If her brother thought it was 'cool'...

Seto smiled somewhat, walking over as she shook her head. "Hn! Did you expect anything less?" she asked, the boy merely smirking in response as his sister peered over his shoulder at the screens. Alright, besides the fact that he'd been typing away at a video game that was currently minimized... "How is the translation going?"

"Almost done," the boy announced proudly, sitting up in his seat. "I've got a program working on it that will finish within two hours," he continued, the woman raising her eyebrows in slight surprise. Two hours...

Not bad...

"Hn... Too late for you then," she said plainly, the clock showing that it was well beyond the boy's usual bed-time. "How about you go sleep alright?" she continued, jerking her head toward the door. "Get some rest..."

The boy nodded, hopping off the chair without a bit of argument. "Got it! Make sure you save my game though," he added as he headed for the door, Seto raising her eyebrows and looking at the screen as she opened up the window in question. Pokemon. On an emulator. Hahaha...

It really figured actually...

The sound of the door closing came from behind, the woman shaking her head and doing as her brother had requested with a slight sigh. "Nothing changes," she muttered, watching the game 'save' and close before taking a seat in the chair. Nothing at all...

She still hoped that he would get into duel monsters of course but really, with all signs pointing to 'no'...

The image of Ra flashed back on the screen as she opened the main window, the program decoding it appearing at its side. Looking at the loading bar near the bottom however she had to wince, a scowl coming over her face. Two hours...

Just became three. It was going to be a long night she thought with a growl, a long and shower-less night filled with-

"Nnnh!" Seto jumped out from the chair as the screen flashed, hands gripping the desk as she stood and stared at the card. Impossible... This...

' _Great God of all he travels, who creates all he sees_ ,' the text read, ' _Whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed, who sails on the evening barge of a million years-'_

"N...Nhnnn..."

Seto fell back against the chair, hand on her head as she struggled to calm herself. The words... The woman continued to back away from the screen, fingers digging into her head as the words seemed to echo and embed themselves in her mind. She understood the words, she could read all of them...

_'For the first rise I grant the power of control,_ ' it stated beneath the chant. _'For the second, with the offerings of life I shall rise during the evening and smite all those whom oppose thee. And with the third power,_ ' it had continued, ' _At the sun's highest point, the true form of God will be revealed, and with proper tribute eradicate all those before them. Such is the decree..._ '

Of Ra. All of it... She read all of it!

And as she crumpled to the floor on her knees eyes wide and unblinking the woman shook, not even able to hear as a small warning flashed on the far screen. What was going on... What was...

"What's happening to me..?"


End file.
